Twists and Turns
by avatarbear67
Summary: This is my take on what could've happened after Katara and Aang kiss in the final episode. Can be read by itself, but it's a sort-of sequel to "Together". Contains mainly Kataang, but has Maiko, Sukka, TophxOC, TyLeexAUC. This is a post-war fic.
1. Regrouping

Okay, guys, this is the story that carries on after 'Together' (you don't need to have read that one, but it's only short, and it's better quality, so go and read it anyway if you haven't read it). I haven't put it on as a chapter, but as a new story, because I think it kind of ruins the mood and mushy-ness of 'Together', because there will be a lot more going on.

_**I've tried to keep all of the characters IN character, but I find it hard,**_

_**and Iroh is a bit OOC. Sorry!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I will [hopefully soon!] be the proud owner of a Nintendo DS Lite, though.**_

_**STORY STARTS HERE!  
**_

OPTIONAL, but you might just want to read it anyway... It's up to you **Background information**: _After that day, the group had dissipated. Zuko and Mai went to the Fire Nation, to continue to balance the kingdom from the capital; Suki had gone back to Kyoshi Island with the Kyoshi Warriors (+Ty Lee) to see how it had fared while she was away and help with the reparations; Sokka had gone to the South Pole with Hakoda _(Sokka's and Katara's dad, just in case you didn't know) _to help to repair the city and rebuild it to its pre-war state; Toph had returned to Gaoling to try and sort things out between herself and her parents. Aang had been travelling in between the kingdoms to continue to rebuild places that had been destroyed by Firelord Ozai; but whenever he had free time, which was not often, he went to the Air Temples. Katara had travelled around the world with him, as she couldn't bear the thought of leaving him alone, but she did spend the previous month in the South Pole with her family to help rebuild._

_As everyone had been busy, and not everyone had managed to see each other, the gaang (and a few extras) had decided to regroup in Ba Sing Se, in ex-General Iroh's teashop _**(A/N: where I left them, I guess)**_._

**1 year later: the regrouping**

The noise in the teashop had never quite reached the current level before, even when it was much busier than that day. The excitement in the air was obvious, and if an observer were to listen to the general chatter, they would clearly hear that there was, actually, only one subject: the Avatar was coming. However, it seemed as though the customers would be sorely disappointed.

"I'm closing up early today, and I won't be opening up again until tomorrow. Sorry for the rush, everyone, and I would not normally hurry you drinking tea – as it is a highly important occasion - but today is an extremely special day," Iroh said rather hoarsely as he wound his way around the room and started to bustle people out.

Several groans could be heard around the teahouse, but nobody dared to argue with Iroh. After all, he was the owner and the maker of such fine tea, and they would all be desperately gutted if he was to ever close the shop permanently. Of course, as soon as they saw what – or, more importantly, who – was outside, they all sped up and hurried to get out of the teahouse. After all, who would want to keep Firelord Zuko and Firelady Mai waiting outside? Especially when they were all too aware of just how royal their moods were.

As soon as the Fire Nation royalties had stepped into the teahouse, Ty Lee did a cartwheel straight past them, ultimately beating the progress of Zuko and Mai. Ty Lee, when she was upright again, rushed up to Mai, and took the girl into a big bear hug.

"Careful, Ty, not too hard," shooting her friend one of her rare, but genuine, smiles.

"Sorry, sorry, but I'm just very excited," Ty Lee said, whilst grinning one of her 'innocent' smiles.

Zuko, smirking lightly at his beloved wife, piped in, "We have very important news to tell everyone anyways."

"What important news?" Toph, always curious, always used to being the first to know. Holding hands with her, there was a stranger that no one had been introduced to as yet. She had a mischievous little smile on her face, and an "Oof!" could be heard directly behind her.

Suki turned and 'walked calmly' towards Sokka. He, being a 'man', scooped her up in his arms, twirled her round and placed a very noisy kiss in the middle of her mouth, making Suki giggle girlishly. Meanwhile, Hakoda and Iroh were greeting each other as old men did – very formally and courteously, with the hint of smiles and friendliness. Katara had stood near the entrance door, and assessed the scene, with a grown-up smile on her face.

"Where's Aang?" Katara said, breaking everyone out of their overly excited greetings.

"H-h-huh... 'lo Katara! H- aargh! Hi, everybody!" They all swivelled their bodies around towards the source of the sound, only to find Aang surrounded by admiring little angels, inquiring as to where he had travelled, and whether or not he had seen strange creatures. Everyone laughed at the sight, and eventually, Appa had to groan loudly – astounding everybody present – to rescue Aang and distract the children so that Aang could greet his friends. With a giant grin on his face, he walked over to Katara first, hugging her so hard that she could barely breathe. After a while, and a couple of "get a room"'s – from Sokka, of course, at the same time as Hakoda – Aang acknowledged everyone else in the room, without letting go of Katara, obviously.

"Hello Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee. Suki, Sokka, Hakoda. Iroh, Toph. Stranger. How're you guys?"

Toph was the first to answer, "This is Kohter **[pronounced exactly the way it's spelt]**. He's helped me a lot this year, but yeah. How about everyone else?"

Appropriately, it was Iroh who took charge, "Welcome Aang, welcome everybody. Why don't we all sit down and I'll make Jasmine tea for everyone so we can exchange stories while relaxing?"

CLIFF

**A/N: So. Was it alright? REVIEW!!! I know there wasn't a lot in that chapter, but it kind of sets the scene. Some of the things will get explained in the next chapter, but only if I get 5[+] reviews!**

**Next Chappie: Who's the new dude? What's the important news? What did everyone get up to?  
_REVIEW!!! _All will be revealed :) x**


	2. NO WAY Really!

Sorry for the late update, everybody! This is a long chapter, though!

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Sorry if the characters are OOC!

This chappie has no Kataang, sorry, but there will be some later, I promise!

Anyways, enjoy!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender,**_

_**and I still don't own a Nintendo DS! =(**_

**2. NO. WAY. Really?!**

Iroh was preparing, and making, Jasmine tea. Zuko had arisen in order to help his uncle serve the tea. The others were sitting around the big, circular table waiting – rather impatiently – for their tea. Zuko walked with deliberate slowness towards the gathering, while he was carrying the tray. When he sensed that excitement was in the air, he slowed his steps even further. He reached Hakoda first, and poured the tea agonizingly slowly.

"Zuko," Mai warned, while shaking her head.

"Yeah, Zuko, get a move on. We're not getting any younger, you know," said Sokka, who was anxious to know what everyone had been up to.

Iroh chuckled, and Zuko walked a bit faster than before. When he head FINALLY finished, and Iroh and he had sat down, everyone began talking animatedly at the same time.

"Why don't we figure out some kind of order?! My head's gonna explode from all the noise," said Toph, clutching her head in one hand, and gripping Kohter's hand in the other.

Then, there was silence.

"Toph's right. Toph and... um, Kohter, you guys go first. After that, we'll see," decided Aang, as he was curious to know about the new arrival Toph seemed so fond of. Since no one had argued against what Aang had said, Toph decided to start.

"Well, as you guys probably guessed, I went back to Gaoling to see my parents again. At first, they were really shocked to see me. My mum recovered first, and she was so relieved that she ushered me inside the house. She told me how much she had missed me, and that she was really worried. When I told them that I had actually run away, my father got mad. He started to shout at me, and he gave me an earful for being a disrespectful and ungrateful daughter. Oh, by the way, those were his exact words. Once my mum had managed to calm him down enough for him to quieten down, I explained everything. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. At the end of it, I apologised for hurting them and making them be worried. But, I did want to start over with them, so I set up conditions."

Sokka could not resist interrupting with what he would call 'clever' questions, "So what kind of conditions did you set up, huh?"

"Well, I said that I didn't want to be watched like a hawk by the security staff, and that I wanted my own freedom. My mum immediately agreed, because she didn't want to 'lose me again'. My father, however, had to receive a lot of looks and nudges from my mum before he reluctantly agreed. The arrangement worked for a few months, and I happily roamed around the town by myself most of the time. Then, my parents requested me to have a formal chat at dinner with them. I knew that it couldn't have been any good, but I decided to go along with it. They said that they wanted me to meet someone really special. I didn't really understand then; all I knew was that they were _too_ excited. 'Meet Kohter Shen Feng' they said to me. I wasn't half as excited as they were. All I could sense was a guy who wasn't very balanced, and to me, he seemed like he was going to fall off when he took his next step. Anyway, we made the basic greetings, and we had dinner together, along with the rest of the families. After that, Kohter came back every day to see me. After a couple of months, we became really great friends. Then, my father revealed some news to the both of us. As soon as I found out, I avoided Kohter and my parents for a month afterwards, until I realised that it really wasn't as bad as I was making it seem. From then on, Kohter and I just hung out together all the time."

When Katara finally realised that Toph was finished, and that she wasn't elaborating on anything she had mentioned, Katara asked, "What did your father say?"

"Kohter, do you mind answering, because I want to concentrate on their reactions"

"Sure. Basically, Toph's father mentioned that... That Toph and I were to be engaged. So now we are."

Everyone – apart from Toph and Kohter – was shocked into silence. Zuko and Mai sat, unmoving. Ty Lee was stunned. Hakoda, Suki and Katara were speechless. Iroh was the only one who smiled. Aang and Sokka were the first to break the silence.

"What?!" Spluttered both of the boys.

It was Sokka who continued, "You... you... you're... ENGAGED?!"

Aang still couldn't manage a proper sentence, "Toph?? But... You... Same... Age... Me... Huh?!"

Toph burst out laughing at the two bumbling boys. When she managed to stop laughing, she said, "Yeah. I am, actually. Unbelievable, isn't it?"

Sokka finally recovered properly. "Kohter. I want to know everything about you. Toph is like another little sister to me, so if you even think of doing anything funny, just remember that I will be there!"

Everyone else in the room laughed. However, Kohter replied seriously, "Don't worry. I wouldn't dream of it."

"Too right. Stop being stupid, Sokka. I would be able to tell WAY before you do!"

"True, true. But, still."

It was Suki's turn to ask, "So have you two thought about the date, yet?"

"No, not yet. Actually, we were gonna wait until I'd grown a couple of inches," grinned Toph.

After the shock had sunk in, and the excitement had died down, they wanted to know about someone else's year. "Alright. So we know what Toph's been up to. Who's next?" Aang had managed to regain his speech.

"I think we should go next," said Zuko determinedly. Everyone nodded in agreement. Mai looked at Zuko, and he began.

"Well, Mai and I went back to the Fire Nation capital to restore the peace. We had a pretty uneventful first month, when everyone was just starting to settle in. Not too long after, rebellions began, and those who still supported Ozai attacked. That's when I had to call Aang in. We had to heighten the security in and around the palace, and we had to tighten the inner city security system. It became so dangerous that everyone who lived in the palace was forced to stay indoors, for fear of being killed. A few months afterwards, we managed to control the number of the rebels. Anyway, Mai and I have even more important news. Mai and I are engaged, and you are all invited to the royal wedding, which will take place during the next Equinox. Also... Mai?"

"Well, I'm pregnant."

Ty Lee, Katara and Suki squealed. Toph smiled knowingly, as she had felt an extra vibration earlier during the day. The men congratulated Zuko, and pat him on the back. **[A/N: Is that what men do when they find out that one of their friends' wives is pregnant? Because I really have no idea!]**

Katara, Ty Lee and Suki all asked the same question at the same time, "When are you due?"

Mai replied, "Five months after the wedding, I think."

"That's really exciting. Congratulations, Mai," said Katara and Suki.

Meanwhile, Ty Lee had had an epiphany, "Oh! So THAT'S why you told me to not hug you so tight! Aw, Mai!" She then hugged Mai firmly, but not too tightly.

Everyone in the teashop had smiles on their faces.

**A/N: so what did you think? Are you shocked? Lol, I'd say I was, but I really wasn't. Anyways, read, and review, please! I apologise for the really quite rushed ending, but I didn't know how to end it, and I know that if I carried it on, it really would've been too long.  
I don't know when I'm going to update, because I have tons of coursework at the moment, as well as rehearsals, but the more you review, the faster I'll be... So, remember, REVIEW! :-)**


	3. Normal Ha! Riiight

Aaargh! I'm so sorry for being really annoying! I know how late this update is... BUT! This is the longest chapter yet, excluding the long Author's Notes.

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

As always, reviews make me feel all mushy inside! :-)

Sorry for this chapter, if it's not as good as you guys expected... I've been really busy lately, and everything has just been incredibly hectic. Pretty much the same warnings as before... Sorry if they're not as IC as you'd like... it's quite hard to picture what their reactions would be like and how they would phrase what I want them to say...

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender,  
**__**although I really wish that I do.**_

More News, and wait. Did you say NORMAL?!

"So, Sokka, what about you?" asked Toph.

"Well, I've just been helping out back at home, with the rest of the tribe. Now, the Southern Water Tribe looks similar to the Northern Water Tribe... It's quite amazing, actually! Of course, we wouldn't have been able to finish everything in under a year if it wasn't for Katara and GramPakku-"

"Good thing he isn't here, Sokka, or he'd have your head!" scolded Katara.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Anyway, Suki and I also made an important decision. We're going to get married as well, and we're engaged!"

"When were you going to tell us, Suki?" Ty Lee asked, while squealing.

Sheepishly, Suki answered, "Well, I was going to tell you all as soon as it was confirmed, but we thought it was better to wait and tell everyone at the same time."

"And have you guys decided when yet?" Toph asked, if only to get back at Suki for putting her on the spot earlier that day, so that she hardly had time to think of something witty.

"No... but we have decided where..." Suki replied.

"Yup. We're getting married on Kyoshi Island."

"Aw, guys. That's great!" Aang congratulated them both. "This means that I have an excuse to go there and have a go at the Unagi **[A/N: the giant eel]** again!"

"What about you, Aang? You must've been the busiest out of all of us," Zuko commented.

"Well, yeah, I guess I have been busy. Katara and I travelled together, and we spent the first month with Guru Pathik **[A/N: the guy with the banana and onion juice... remember him?]**, so that I could understand the Avatar State better. It was really interesting. I learnt that although the Avatar State is triggered by intense emotion and dangerous situations, I can actually refrain from going into the Avatar State during times of distress. For example, if I see someone in danger, I'm able to NOT go into the Avatar State so that I can still control my actions and not be too powerful. I also learnt how to manage the State and make sure that it doesn't drain all of my energy. After that, Katara, Appa, Momo and I went to Omashu again to visit Bumi. The city was back to its original state – before the Fire Nation occupation. Bumi was trying to decide if Omashu needed a new king. By the way, he still hasn't made a decision yet, so if anyone has any ideas, send him a message." At this point, he looked towards Sokka - the master of ideas, and when he saw that Sokka's mind was already reeling, he continued, "Anyway, after we were sure that Bumi could manage fine without us, we travelled to Kyoshi Island, although it turned out that they didn't really need help at all, considering that the Kyoshi Warriors had all done a lot to restore the place, and it was back to its original glory. We then went on to Ba Sing Se. We ended up leaving Appa in a forest for a week, because he wanted to have a go at the platypus bear. Needless to say, he had a great time. Katara and I went to go and look for the Earth King without him on the ostrich horses."

"Really? I rode on one of those creatures for a while myself, actually. They're quite fast animals, aren't they?" Zuko interrupted.

"You did? Yeah, they are. Great fun, actually. Anyway, we had to help in restoring the wall, although most of it had already been done by the Grand members of the White Lotus, the Earth Kingdom army and the Coucil of Five. We got some problems from the Dai Li, of course, but it wasn't too bad, and we managed to come to an agreement eventually."

"We then spent the next couple of months helping Mai and Zuko with the rebels. It was quite tough to get everything settled initially, but in the end, Aang and I helped to control enough of them so that Zuko could deal with the rest by himself. I then decided that Aang needed a rest, and we went to the Southern Air Temple, where Aang taught me the tricks to playing Air Ball successfully, even though I'm not an airbender. He also taught me how to play Pai Sho. I'm still not too sure right now, actually, but in time, I'm sure I'll be just as good as Aang, if not better."

Aang looked at Katara with a loving gaze, and laughed at her declarative statement, "Of course, Katara, 'course. We then went back to the Eastern Air Temple, but we couldn't find Guru Pathik anywhere. We're not sure where he went, but I know that he's just fine. Finding that we had nothing to do there, and that the more time we spent there, the longer Appa was depressed, we headed to the Northern Air Temple, and then briefly to the Western Air Temple to try and restore some of it. It was then that Zuko asked me to come to the capital again. I didn't reply straight away, and I didn't want Katara there, in case there was any more trouble. So, we flew to the Southern Water Tribe, and I dropped Katara off there. It turned out that Zuko just wanted me to attend a meeting, so I had time to go and meet up with the swamp benders from the Foggy Swamp Tribe again afterwards. I had a great time, and I went water-skiing again!" He turned his gaze pointedly at Sokka, but Sokka blatantly blanked Aang.**[A/N: the water-skiing incidence is in the extras section of the dvd (I don't actually have it, but I have seen the screenshots in order with the words). It's the chibi version of all the characters!]**

"While Aang was off having his fun, I caught up with all of the water tribe gossip - the latest Water Tribe fashions, and all the mad rumours from the sister tribe, as well. Of course, I did help with the re-building. Then, we were all invited here."

"Whoa! You two have been busy!" exclaimed Ty Lee. "So... Did you two get engaged as well?"

"Tactical, Ty. Very tactical," muttered Mai.

Aang immediately blushed tomato red and, when he caught Katara's eye and smile, he blushed even more - if that was even possible - and started to stutter. "Wh... Well. You... uh... see, um... we..."

Katara, having realised that Aang was never going to just spit it out and finish the sentence, said, "We've thought about it, and we decided that we'd wait a while. I don't think that there's any reason to rush it, and besides, Aang is not really ready for that, to be honest. Right, Aang?"

Aang just nodded, as he was aware that he was still unsure of his voice. After all, he did not want to squeak his answer out. At least, not in front of EVERYONE.

Iroh, as he had been quiet all through everyone's mini-speeches, and because he sensed Aang's discomfort, decided to take pity on the boy and distract everyone. "More tea, anyone?"

After affirmative cries could be heard, and the gathering had settled down again, Hakoda opened up a new discussion topic.

"What are you all going to do now? Just go back to ordinary life again? Because I'm not sure that that will be satisfying or enough for you kids - at least, not after the exciting couple of years you've just had."

It was Sokka who answered, "Actually Dad - I mean, I'm not trying to speak on behalf of everyone or anything here - but I think I can safely say that a bit of normalcy could be quite nice. You know, it could give us a bit of a chance to actually live a normal person's life for a change, and see how it suits us. Obviously, if we all get bored, or unhappy, we could always review that..."

"Yeah, Dad, I actually kind of agree with Sokka there -" catching the smug smile which had formed on Sokka's face, she decided to wipe it off at once, "only kind of, though - I think we could all benefit from being a bit normal for a while. Especially Aang, who should get a chance at being a fairly normal teen."

Zuko interrupted again. "Well, actually, Katara, I'm not sure if Aang can have a 'normal' life... What with him being the Avatar... And the last airbender... and all..." At this point, Zuko gradually turned more pink. **[A/N: virtual cookies to anyone who can guess correctly!]** Utterly embarrassed and despaired, he looked towards Iroh for help. "Uncle?"

**CLIFFY!**

**Sorry, sorry, I know that you guys hate cliffhangers, but I promise that from now onwards, I won't put another cliffy in... I promise!! *hides in the corner of the room with notebook and pencil***

**Alright-y, folks. REVIEW, please! x :-) x  
I will update faster if you do!!! Hopefully, I'll update before next weekend! x**


	4. You've gotta be kidding me Right?

YAY! Update! Within 2 (and a bit) days!!! Isn't that amazing??

Replies to reviews for the previous chapter will be at the end of the story! I would personally reply, but my internet connection has been really bad... I'll personally reply once it improves. For the time being, it'll be at the bottom of the story.

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, as usual. :-(**_

You're joking... Right? PLEASE say you are...

LAST TIME: _Zuko interrupted again. "Well actually, Katara, I'm not sure if Aang can have a 'normal' life... What with him being the Avatar... And the last airbender... and all..." At this point, Zuko gradually turned more pink. "Uncle?"_

"Ah... I think I see what you are trying to say, nephew... And I am quite sure that they will not be comfortable with me delivering the news in front of everybody. So, if everyone is fine, and no one minds, can you leave for another part of the shop? Except for Aang, Katara, Hakoda and Zuko, of course."

With confused looks painted quite obviously on the faces of everyone, they scuttled out, leaving the five still sitting around the table.

Aang eventually piped up, "I don't get it."

"Neither do I," Katara said.

Embarrassed, Zuko said, "If you want to get the news clearly, I think that Uncle had better explain the situation."

Iroh explained, "What Zuko was trying to say before was that Aang is the last air nomad. That we know of, at least. The Grand Members of the White Lotus, the Council of Five, the chiefs of the Water Tribes, and the Generals of the Fire Nation had a meeting around about a week ago. We were discussing the imbalance of our current world. There are a lot of non-benders and benders of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. There are not so many water benders, but still, there are quite a few. However, there is only the one airbender. If we are to fully restore the peace and balance, we need more airbenders. Or air nomads."

Aang still did not understand, "How are there going to be more airbenders if I'm the only one left."

If anyone had been scanning the room, they would have caught sight of the slight smirk placed on Hakoda's face, the now annoye expression that Zuko held, and the small smile that graced Iroh's features. Of course, there was also the unmistakeable shade of Katara's normally tanned face. When nobody gave him an answer, Aang lifted his head up to look at Iroh. He then turned towards Zuko and Hakoda, noting their facial expressions. When he finally turned his body to the one next to him, and saw what a lovely shade of red his companion's complexion had turned, it was as though there was a lightbulb in his head that just switched on.

"Oh! Oh no! No... That's... really. Um. Whoa. No way. But, but... who? Y'know, who with? I mean, _I_ know who I want to... you know... with, but how do I know that the person would... oh I don't know. Agree?"

As he was saying – oh sorry, stuttering – all of what was going on inside his brain, he gradually grew hotter, and hotter. On the other hand, Zuko was wondering why on earth he had to stay in the room. After all, he wasn't involved – he and his uncle were just people who were unfortunate enough to have been chosen for the job of the announcer, and luckily for Zuko, his Uncle had taken over.

Hakoda tried to console Aang, "Aang, of course you don't need to think about this right now. You haven't even turned fifteen yet... We will, of course, wait until you are 15. However, I'm afraid that you don't have a choice in the matter..."

After five minutes of awkward silence, Zuko hurried out of the room, followed by Hakoda and Iroh. Zuko went to find the rest of the gaang, while Hakoda and Iroh went to another part of the teahouse to have a discussion regarding the matter at hand. Katara was the only one left with Aang. After another minute of absolutely no movement on Aang's part, Katara gently touched his arn and swivelled to face him.

"Aang?"

Aang turned to Katara slowly, and gave Katara a shock she'd never forget when she saw the pair of eyes that stared at her. They were completely devoid of emotion. The usually cheerful and glittering grey was no more. Instead, they had been replaced by the most dull of greys; the depth of those eyes had disappeared. They were now utterly lifeless. Those eyes just stared at Katra, unnerving her whole being, sending horrified shivers down her spine. Katara, thoroughly terrified for Aang, tried to shake him out of his trance.

"Aang? Aang, please. Aang... You're scaring me."

That did it. Aang blinked, and it was as if the curtain of mist had lifted, and the life poured into his eyes – all the emotions: confusion, anger, panic, despair. He opened his mouth, and the words that tumbled out, one on top of the other, were unintelligible.

"WhatweretheythinkingaskingsomeonemyagetothinkaboutthesekindsofthingssurelytheyrealisethatIamsimplynot -"

"Aang! I have no idea what you've just said!"

It seemed that to Aang, Katara had said absolutely nothing, as even while Katara spoke, Aang had continued his speech, too.

"- IwouldonlywanttohavechildrenwithsomeoneIloveandonlyafterIhavemarriedherIamamonkafterallIhavetakenthevowofchastityIdonotevenknowhether -"

Completely and utterly fed up, Katara shook his whole body and made him halt.

"Aang. Please listen to me. I know how upset and confused you must be, but please. How can I help you if I can't understand what you're trying to say?"

Aang took a deep breath, and tried again, "What were they thinking, asking someone like me to think about these things? Surely they realise that I'm just not ready. Not to mention that I'd only want to have children with someone I love and only after I've married her. I'm a monk, at the end of the day. I've taken the vow of chastity. I don't even know whether or not the girl I love wants to spend the rest of her life with me, or have kids with me."

Realisation dawned on Katara's face. "I get it now, Aang. Well, first things first, you need to get things clear in your own head. Okay?"

Aang nodded.

"Right. First, you said that you know who you want to marry. Is that right?"

Aang nodded again.

"Good. Who is it?"

"You."

When he saw that Katara had been shocked into silence by this revelation, he corrected himself, "Er... Well, what I meant was... uh..."

Katara regained herself in time, "Okay. Well, this makes things simple, then. All you have to do, is ask for her – um, my – opinion."

With that, Katara left Aang to his own devices and took herself out onto the garden.

_Well. That shouldn't have been a surprise, should it? I mean, we are together, and we have talked about getting married... Could I handle it? Being the wife of the Avatar? The Last Airbender? Whoa... I hope Aang doesn't change his mind..._

_**Thank you for reviewing the last chapter!!! They made me happy when I read them, and I wanted to update straight away... Unfortunately, I was reading from my dad's computer...**_

**SaphirArya:**** Is this fast enough? :D I'm glad you like this!**

**blue-kataang:**** Virtual cookies to you!! Do you like chocolate chip ones? :)  
**  
**SO. What do you think? Definitely more Kataang in this one than in the rest... Right? This was supposed to be up last night, but I fell asleep with the laptop in my fingertips... So, I'm sorry if there are any glaring mistakes, but I've got to go to school now... PLEASE REVIEW!!! Ta! x-bear67-x  
**


	5. What! Missing! Pt1

I'm sorry if this is not as good... I've had a really rough time after the last update,

and I guess this is sort of my way of venting some of that...

I promise to come back to the main plot asap (because this is one of alternative choices, but it fits more with me at the moment), but I can't really promise, because that might

take a while, and I don't want to leave you all hanging.

**This chapter is a bit confusing, sorry. It switches POVs, and jumps backwards and forwards in time... Sorry again, but just try to enjoy... It's kind of reflective for me.**

_**Disclaimer: Why do I have to keep writing this?... Grr. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**_

_**Okay? Happy? (sheesh. rub it in my face, why don't u?)**_

What?! Missing?!

[AangPov]

Meditation. Some say that it is a mental discipline in order to get into a deeper state of awareness. For others, it is a state of being, usually contemplative. For me, it's simply a method to relax myself, and calm my mind, so that I can think straight. It's hard to explain meditation. I usually sit down on a level surface with my back straight and my fists connected together. However, some people meditate while they are upside down, or lying completely horizontal. It really is all up to the person. Why am I meditating right now? Hm. That's a good question. I need the time to think.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_I watched Katara leave the room. She was a beauty beyond compare. I knew that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. However, I wasn't entirely sure of what she felt about marriage and having children. We were, after all, still teenagers. She was only sixteen. Most people only thought about marriage when they were seventeen or eighteen; like Zuko and Sokka. Kids my age didn't think about marriage at all._

_I sat still, just thinking. I knew that I still had a couple of months until my birthday – the day that I now dreaded because I have to make my decision on that day. A noise erupted from somewhere inside the teahouse, breaking me out of my reverie._

_I decided then that I would leave for a while. I needed the time to myself, just me and my thoughts, so I could plan my next move. I couldn't stay here, not when I wasn't alone. I had to leave without anyone, not even Appa or Momo, and especially NOT Katara. I looked around the room, and found my measly belongings. I picked myself up off the floor and walked towards it. I checked that I had a few necessary essentials, and went downstairs to the kitchen without my satchel. I found two apples and a sandwich, and took them with me. Once I decided that I was ready, I flew from the balcony with my glider. I had decided that I would go to a remote island and spend a few days there, just meditating._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

That's how I came to be here. Not that I'm sure where 'here' actually is. I think I'm going crazy. I'm semi-talking to a non-existent being, explaining all of my thoughts. Admittedly, it does help that I'm doing this. On the way here, feeling all of the beautiful clouds encompassing me, and the feel of the wind blowing past me, I knew that I was going to ask Katara for her hand in marriage. However, I was definitely not going to ask her right this instance. I had to have the whole thing planned out, even if Katara knew that I was going to propose to her. Of course, I need advice, but first, I need to figure things out in my head.

[3rd person, but concentrating on Iroh]

Iroh saw Aang walk cautiously into the kitchen. He saw him looking into the fridge and counting in his head.

_Ah. I see. Good idea, Aang, good idea. Are you going to leave us a note, though? Or do we just have to worry about you for a while?_

Iroh watched as Aang looked around briefly once, and then again. After obviously deciding that his path was clear, he headed back up the stairs. Iroh, having found out unintentionally about what was going to happen, casually walked onto the front porch, and looked up at the sky. Sure enough, there was Aang, gliding off to an unknown place.

[KataraPOV]

I sat outside in the garden by myself. I wondered how long I was going to sit there by myself. I also wondered when Aang would come out and keep me company. Just inside my peripheral vision, I saw something. When I looked up, I saw the unmistakable shape that was Aang and his glider. I blinked, twice, to check what I was seeing, only to realise that tears had streamed down my face. I wiped them away, frustrated that I was actually crying for no reason.

_Aang probably just needs to clear his mind, or something. I'm sure he wouldn't just up and leave without giving explanations to anyone... Would he?_

I saw someone else, too. It was Iroh, looking up at the sky, just as I was doing earlier.

_Does _he_ know why Aang left? Did Aang tell him something?_

Before I could think about anything else, I heard a rampage inside the house.

[3rd person]

"Has anyone seen Aang?" Shouted Sokka.

"Oi, noisy, why don't you check with Katara, instead of shouting at everyone and giving me a headache?" Answered Toph.

Sokka muttered, "Alright, I will. Jeez, some people are snipy."

Sokka walked down the stairs and looked into the main room, the kitchen, and the entrance hall. He found Hakoda, and Iroh, but no Katara. He stopped to think, and the light bulb went off. _The Garden!_ He carried on to the courtyard.

"Hey, Katara, do you know where..." He stopped in his tracks when he saw the tears flowing freely down Katara's cheeks. He quickly strode to her side and put his arm around her.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Katara sniffed, and gave away the fact that she was lying, "I'm fine, and nothing happened."

"You've always been a bad liar, Katara."

"Have not!"

"Have, too."

"I am not a bad liar!"

"Yes, you are, but remember, I am your brother, so I know that you're not okay, and that you're lying."

"Then why did you ask if I was okay?"

"Touché. Look, can't you just tell me what's happened?"

"It's Aang."

"Really? I kinda thought so. Do you know where he is?"

"No... not really..."

"Okay. Let's walk you back inside and go tell the others."

Katara hesitated, but decided not to mention anything just yet, "Um... okay, I guess."

When the duo walked to the main room downstairs, they saw that everyone was gathered around the table.

Zuko asked, "Where's Aang?"

Sokka replied, "That's just it. We don't know. I think he's missing."

Katara glanced at Iroh, and realised that he was not going to say anything. She decided that she too, would say nothing about Aang, or his whereabouts.

"Oh no. I knew we shouldn't have told Aang just yet. He's probably gone off somewhere off the face of the planet, knowing Aang. Dammit, why is he such an escapist?!" Zuko panicked.

"Relax Zuko, he'll come back. He always does," said Toph.

"Yeah, Toph's right. Let's just figure out what we're going to do until he gets back," suggested Sokka.

Hakoda looked at Katara's face, and noticed her red and slightly swollen eyes. His darling daughter had been crying – he wanted to find out what the cause was.

"Katara, can I talk to you, please?"

"Um, okay Dad."

Katara followed after Hakoda, with a small frown on her face. Once they got outside, Hakoda looked around to make sure that they were alone, just in case Katara didn't want to say something in front of anyone else.

END OF PART 1

sorry for ending it there, but i really need to have this up, but I have to go.  
please don't flame! I know it's not great, but I'm really ill atm.

PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED LOVE! x


	6. Chapter 5 pt 2

I feel terrible... I am SO sorry for not updating earlier! I hope that this makes up for it! Also, I hope that this is a much more humorous chapter than the last installment!

BUCKETLOADS OF THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! THEY REALLY CHEERED ME UP! :P

_This chapter also switches POVs but not as much as the other one!_

_**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. I do own this plot, though! (I guess I should be happy enough with that :b)**_

Phew... _What_ a relief.

**Last time:**_Hakoda looked at Katara's face, and noticed her red and slightly swollen eyes. His darling daughter had been crying – he wanted to find out what the cause was._

"_Katara, can I talk to you, please?"_

"_Um, okay Dad."_

_Katara followed after Hakoda, with a small frown on her face. Once they got outside, Hakoda looked around to make sure that they were alone, just in case Katara didn't want to say something in front of anyone else._

**NOW, on with the story:  
**[3rd person]

"Are you alright, Katara? What's the matter?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Dad. Nothing's the matter. Honest," she smiled, albeit unconvincingly, for her father.

Hakoda gazed at the sky, "It was once said that if you were truly meant to be together, then fate would let it be so, no matter what kind of obstacles are placed on your path. Now. Whether or not you believe in that is up to you. Of course, if you do happen to need my help or advice, you know where to ask." He paused to turn to her, and, with a knowing glint in his eye, he continued, "Oh, don't forget to tell Aang the same thing when he comes back, will you?"

Startled by her father's apparent omniscience, she tensed. Hakoda left her to go back into the main room, and leave her with her private thoughts.

_When he comes back, he'd said. Not _if_. If Dad knows that Aang is going to return, then it must be true. After all, old people do seem to have a knack of being right most of the time._

With the happy thought planted in her mind, her smile grew and she walked back to where everyone else was with a spring in her step.

[AangPOV]

Okay. So I had decided that I was _definitely_ going to propose to her. The question was, _how_? I thought that I could do that clichéd thing and go down on one knee after I had made her a meal...

Oh, but I couldn't cook. Forgot about that. Hm. I had _no _idea what I was going to do. It was a real dilemma. I really couldn't think of these things by myself. I wished I had an older brother who had lots of experience with girls...

_Wait! I do! Two, in fact: Zuko and Sokka. But they were not here. Ah._

As I pondered, my gaze wandered and my brain registered an untouched mountainside not too high up. I flew up and made myself a ledge that I could stand on. For some reason, I remembered the time when Toph made a whole city out of the hole in the sand. I looked at the mountainside and decided to do what Toph did, but, instead of a city, I decided that I was going to make Katara's and my wedding venue. The absolute ideal one. Of course, I didn't really know what Katara's ideal wedding would be like, so I had to settle for a guess. Besides, it would only be a rough idea, considering that I couldn't really bring Katara over without giving the game away.

After two hours of conscientiously working and about four litres of sweat, I had done it. I had finished creating a model for my ideal wedding. Okay, so I _had_ cheated a little bit – I had used my firebending skills to make what I needed. Still, though, it was _mostly_ built by earthbending, and _technically_, Toph had used _sand_bending.

Anyway, I think it looks... what's the word I'm looking for? PERFECT. That's the one. It looks completely _perfect_. Every ridge created out of the mountain is stunningly and so precisely intricate, and I had even made a banner and hanging tapestries. Admittedly, I had no people, but that was only because I would've had to do facial expressions, and let me tell you, people's expressions are _really_ hard to re-create. The whole mountainside looks stunning, though. It almost looks as structured as Omashu, and nearly as amazing as Toph's sand city. However, to me, it looks _magnificent_ (I think I may be running out of adjectives).

At the current moment, I'm sitting down beside the outstanding – even if I do say so myself – model, and looking through the clouds and onto the ground below. I guess I can say that this is the third happiest state I could be in: up high in the air – second is flying, and first is being beside Katara.

_Katara. Ahhh. I'm _so_ in love with her, it actually hurts being away from her. I have got to get out of here soon. I _have_ to go back and have her next to me soon. A few more days. No more than a few days, and I should have all my thoughts sorted out and fly back to Ba Sing Se._

**A/N: So? What do you guys think? Good, bad, okay? _PLEASE REVIEW!_ I'm really glad that lots of people are reading this, but it would mean more to me if you reviewed! Also, thank you to everyone who put me and/or this story onto their favourites or alerts! =)  
Umm.. oh yeah, I'm going to try and get chapter 6 out tonight, but I can't make any promises... it is already written out, though, so it shouldn't take _too_ long... X REVIEW! X  
**


	7. Sighs All Round

Okay. So this is to make it up to you guys... Fluffy Kataang.

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, I'm not that much of a genius, I'm afraid**_

Sighs All Round

[back to general POV, and not changing!]

It had been five days since Katara last saw Aang. Five long, lonely days of waiting and worrying. She had been standing outside on the balcony, watching out for Aang. Had it not been for everyone else in the teahouse, she probably would've just stood outside, regardless of the weather, or what time of the day it was. Luckily for her health, she had people who cared for her wellbeing and did not want her to be suffering. Unfortunately for everyone else, she would not return to normal until Aang came back. Whenever that was going to be.

Sokka had even thought of beating Aang up as soon as he saw the bald guy. Toph had grown irritated at the atmosphere of the teahouse since everybody was restless, just waiting for Aang to return. It seemed as though everything revolved around Aang. Kohter and Toph had been allowed to rent a couple of rooms not too far away from the teahouse just so Toph could get the peace she needed. Zuko had returned to the Fire Nation capital a couple of days back just to check up on his government and city. He had ordered that he be informed of Aang's return immediately. Meanwhile, Mai and Ty Lee had stayed behind in Ba Sing Se to help Iroh out with his teashop – not that Iroh needed the help, mind, but he never did refuse kindness. Hakoda had also stayed, in order to look out for the sanity of his daughter, and to help Iroh, too. Sokka and Suki did not see any reason for them to leave so soon after arriving, and so they stayed.

It was just after dinnertime, and everyone who was staying in the teahouse had retired to bed. All but Katara, that is. She was standing out on the balcony, gazing up at the sky, with Momo perched on her shoulder. She was extremely worried for Aang. After all, he had left with no explanation, and had not given anybody details of where he would be, should they have needed to find him. It was rather selfish of him, really.

Several hours passed, and Katara's eyes were heavy lidded with exhaustion. She had even taken out a chair from her room so that she could stay outside to wait on Aang. Her brain had been begging her to sleep all evening, but she had ignored it completely. However, at half past two in the morning, she had lost the battle.

It was much too early. Even the sun had only been bothered to show a small glimpse of itself. It was only approximately five in the morning and Aang landed just outside the door of the front entrance hall. He was absolutely knackered, but he was glad that he had finally arrived.

He tried the door of the teahouse, only to find it locked.

_Grr. How am I supposed to get in?! _he thought to himself.

It was then that he caught sight of a light near the top of the building. He flew up quickly and soundlessly, so as to not be seen by or awaken any neighbouring residents. When he landed on the balcony of the room and looked at the chair, he saw the most welcoming sight that he had ever seen. Katara had been waiting for him. She had been awaiting his arrival outside. Her hair was the most beautiful shade of brown, with tints of all of the dark browns. Her eyelids were closed, which emphasised the length of her eyelashes. Her body was hugged by the beautiful clothes that she was wearing, and her feet were curled underneath her. She looked stunning. There was honestly no other way to describe her.

He had no idea how long he had been standing there, just staring at her. He would've been content to just stay there forever, except for the fact that his legs were shaking very slightly from the lack of movement. He walked forward cautiously, as if he was a toddler taking his very first steps.

When he reached her, he noticed that there was something that he missed. His lemur, Momo, was also there, curled up on Katara's lap. He smiled softly, and picked Momo up gently, so as to not wake Katara up. Momo blinked blearily, and chirped once, to let Aang know that he had missed him very much, but he was tired. Aang opened the door to the bedroom inside, and placed Momo underneath the blanket in his very own basket.

Satisfied that Momo was absolutely fine, he walked back out again, towards Katara. As soon as he reached her, he was startled. Katara was awake! He had awoken her. Oh dear...

"Aang...?" She half-asked very carefully.

"Yes, Katara?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Er... no..."

With a sigh of relief, Katara walked the few steps towards Aang, and hugged him fiercely, "Oh, Aang..."

Aang was slightly taken aback, but he soon adjusted himself into her hug, and caressed her back, "Katara."

After hearing that one word, Katara pulled back, and looked into his eyes. She saw a lot of emotions in his eyes, but there was one that really stood out: love. Aang also registered the same emotion in her eyes. Slowly, they inched even closer together, and their lips chastely touched. They both pulled back briefly to gaze into each other's eyes, and then kissed again, with more passion. They put all of their emotions into that one kiss: annoyance, worry, relief, comfort, lust and love. They broke apart slowly to breathe in some air.

Katara's eyelids were still half-closed, but when they opened, Aang knew he was in trouble.

"Why did you leave without telling anyone where you were going?!" She whispered angrily.

Aang, knowing her temper only _too_ well, replied, "I'm sorry, Katara, it was a spur of the moment thing. I am truly sorry. I promise that I won't do it again. Ever."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, Katara. From now on, I will never leave your side without telling you where I'm going."

With that reassurance, she yawned, and then proceeded to rest her head on his shoulders. Aang looked to the horizon, and saw that the sun had almost fully revealed itself.

Aang asked gently, "Would you like to go back to sleep, Katara?"

"Yes, please, Aang."

Aang half-dragged, half-carried Katara inside and onto the bed. He took her slippers off for her, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips. Any observer in the room would've agreed that it was a very sweet sight.

"Aang...?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Please stay with me."

"What? Here? In your bed?" Aang blushed furiously.

"Yes."

"Your father and brother would castrate me."

"Please, Aang?" Katara smiled the sweetest smile possible.

He knew he could not resist that smile. Defeated, he said, "Alright, Katara. I will."

She scooted over on the bed to leave some space for Aang. He took off his shoes and outer layer and laid on top of the covers. He hugged her body close to him, and Katara slept comfortably and peacefully – the most peaceful she had ever slept since Aang had left.

**So I didn't manage to get this up last night, but it's here now... What do you guys think? The next chapter will have a much faster pace._ PLEASE _REVIEW! I'm serious this time, I'm not updating until I get five reviews. x-bear67-x**


	8. It WAS Real?

Yay! Update! And a looong one, at that! This is the longest chapter I've written so far!

Enjoy!

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. My name's not Mark or Brian – if you read my profile page, it becomes pretty obvious.**_

Please Say It Wasn't All A Dream

The rays of the sun streamed brightly into the room. Aang opened his eyes groggily, squinted, and yawned. He hadn't truly planned on sleeping there, yet he saw an exquisite creature next to him, one made all the more exotic by the sun's beam. The glow illuminated and complemented her, enveloping her in its rich, warm colours. He smiled, and remembered the events of the previous night. Not wanting to rouse her, he gently pried her arms off of his body, and pulled his arm out from underneath her neck slowly. He gently kissed her forehead, and got himself up, off the bed, and put his shoes and clothing on.

He walked out from the room with one last glance at the sleeping angel, in search of the washroom. Fortunately for Aang, he found it quite quickly. Rather unfortunately, there was another person in there: Sokka.

"Aang! Thank Yue you're safe!"

"Um, thanks, Sokka."

A sour expression then appeared on Sokka's face, as he thought of the events all through the past week.

_Damn, so much for me wanting to beat up the bald little monkey – oops, monk._

"You idiotic, not-bald-anymore, little monk! Do you know what happened to Katara while you were off on your trip to la-la land?"

"Actually, Sokka, about me being away in la-la land... I really need to talk to you and Zuko. I need help on something. Could you gimme a hand, Sokka?"

Noticing the desperate look on Aang's face, and not one for holding a grudge against him for too long, he said, "Oh, alright. But Zuko's not here. He needed to go back to Fire Nation HQ. I'll get a messenger hawk to him right away, and I'll leave you to wash up here, stinkboy."

"Gee, thanks, Sokka. Thanks a lot. You know, you would stink too if you hadn't washed in over-" Aang stopped himself when he noticed that Sokka had not bothered to stay and listen to his excuses.

Aang went into the washroom and thoroughly cleaned himself of all the dirt that had accumulated on his body after his time out in the 'wilderness'.

About fifteen minutes later, he came out, clean-shaven and smelling fresh. He looked around the hallway, but could not find anyone. He decided that he would go into the main room, but only after he had left a note to Katara, explaining his momentary absence, considering he _had_ promised only the night before.

With that thought in mind, he determinedly walked in the direction of Katara's room. Upon arriving, he noticed that she was still sound asleep, and decided that he would just leave a note where she could not possibly miss it: the door. He quickly found a quill, and a rough piece of parchment, and wrote his message:

Don't worry about anything, I've just gone to explain my absence to the others. You'll probably find me with Sokka – should you need anything from me.  
When you wake up, get yourself some food to eat, and come and meet me in the garden around ten minutes after lunchtime. Don't forget to look a bit excited to see me!

P.S. You are truly beautiful, Katara.

Yours,

Aang.

He managed to stick the piece onto the door, and hurried out before anyone could see that he had been in there. Of course, Toph would probably know – after all, she had once said that no one had quite the same foot vibrations as him – but hopefully, she won't tell anyone. He looked both ways, and then went in search for Sokka.

He checked the main room first, only to find that the shop was about to open, and Iroh and Hakoda were there, just discussing what was to happen for that day.

Iroh was the first to notice Aang's presence, "Ah, Aang. So you have decided to come back. But you are in a hurry, and you seem like you are looking for someone."

It really was not a question, but Aang answered, "Yeah... I am. Do you know where Sokka is?"

Iroh just unhelpfully shrugged and picked up a teacup. Luckily for Aang, though, Hakoda answered him, "He is out in the garden, I believe."

With a quick, small bow, Aang rushed out onto the garden. "Sokka!"

Shocked, Sokka dropped the parchment that he was holding, and in turn, scared off Hawkie's relative. He whined, "Aang..."

"Oh, sorry, Sokka," not really feeling very apologetic at all, he sat down in a whirlwind, "I need to ask you for advice... on girls..."

"Now I know you're talking to the right man. When you have problems with the ladies-"

"Well, actually, there's just this one girl. But where is everyone else?"

"Hm. Zuko's gone to the HQ, as you know, and Toph and Kohter have rented a little house down the road from here so that Toph can get the peace and quiet. Suki, Ty and Mai are somewhere on the top floor doing girly things. Katara's probably in her room, moping. Have you told her you're back?"

Avoiding the question entirely, and with the knowledge of how to get Sokka distracted, he asked, "Sokka, how do you know when the right time to ask the girl for her hand in marriage is?"

Completely forgetting everything, "Good question, my young apprentice. That's a very good question. Normally, I'd say after about one or two years of meeting her. However, in light of the news that you are the Avatar, and the other news, I'd say a week. Do I know this girl, Aang?"

Aang suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable, "Actually, yeah, Sokka, you do."

"What's she like?"

"She's very pretty, quite tall, and older than me."

Horrified, Sokka asked, "It's not Ty Lee. Is it? Say no!"

"NO!"

"Are you just saying that because I told you to?"

"No, I'm not. It's not Ty Lee. We've known her for quite a long time, actually. You for a while more."

"Umm... Who do I know that you know that I've known for longer even though you are the 114-year old monk who has travelled around the world?! I give up."

"Don't give up. I can't say. It's really obvious, though. K..."

"K... I don't know anyone with a 'K' in their name. Well, apart from gran-gran Kana, or Kya, my mother. Oh, and Katara, my sister."

Aang looked away subtly, and blushed slightly. The awkward silence continued. Then, quite abruptly, realisation dawned on Sokka's face.

"K-k-k-katara?! As in, my _sister_ Katara?!" Spluttered Sokka.

Aang just nodded."

"Oh, okay, then. So you're gonna propose to my sister, eh? Do you know how you're going to 'pop' the question yet?"

Aang blinked. "So you're fine with it? You're not going to kill me, or anything?"

"Aang, Aang, Aang. Of course I'm not going to kill you. It's not exactly a surprise, and besides, if I did kill you, my sister wouldn't be _too_ happy about it."

"Oh, okay, then. Well, I kind of wanted to ask _you_ that, actually. _How_ am I going to propose to her? I know that I don't want to do it the normal, clichéd and overdone way," Aang paused when he saw the questioning look on his confidante's face. "Well, you know, the whole cooking and then dropping onto one knee and ask her."

"Oh! Okay. Well, what about..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Katara yawned and stretched her body out languidly. Instead of feeling a relatively muscled body next to her, she just felt a cold bedspread. In an instant, she opened her eyes and sat up straight, only to confirm her initial feeling – it was all a dream. A lovely, wishful dream, maybe, but a dream nonetheless. All the things she thought Aang had said, the hug, and the kiss – ohh, that kiss! - they were all purely figments of her overactive imagination. She knew that it was just too good to be true.

Despairing, she rested onto her back, and closed her eyes.

_No. Surely it wasn't a dream! Aang _was_ here. I _know_ he was. He was here, next to me, before. He _must_'ve been. There, I can smell his scent hanging in the air. That undeniably young and masculine, outdoors-y smell of Aang. No one else smells quite like him._

She opened her eyes again and this time, she looked around the room, searching for a sign of anything that could give her hope that Aang had, indeed, been there. After finding nothing, she gave up, and got out of bed, feeling empty. She thought she had had Aang, but that was all just her wishful thinking. She trudged towards the door, intent on finding someone to talk to. Preferably Toph or even Sokka, when she found a piece of rubbish on the floor. She looked at it briefly, before she saw the name 'Aang' written on it. She decided to read it.

_So Aang _had_ been here after all! With Sokka? I wonder why... Hm. Oh, silly Aang. I'm always excited to see you._

She shook her head and smiled as she read his last few words. Even though it couldn't have been more than a few hours, she couldn't wait to see him again.

**A/N: So.. What do you think? I know not much actually happened, but I needed you guys to understand that it _is_ such a long, tedious process - what Aang has to go through, I mean.  
Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!! I probably won't get the next chapter out until Sunday, but if you guys review (more than 6 reviews for this chapter), then I will get one out before then... avatarbear67-x**

**A/N EDITED: Sorry for the horribly obvious mistakes! ("me", instead of "him")... Hopefully, I've managed to fix all of them. However, if you do notice anything else, don't be shy to tell me! Anyway. Thanks to everyone who reviewed _(you're all so nice XD)_! x  
**


	9. The One Where He Does Something Drastic

Finally! Here it is, the fluffy chapter 8 (I've been watching too much Friends)!

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Or anything else that you can recognise. I do own this story, though... That's gotta count for something, right?**_

The One Where He Does Something Dramatically Drastic

Finally, after so many hours, Aang had finished his surprise for Katara. However, he still had his major doubts about all of this.

Still anxious, Aang asked, "Are you sure that this is all going to work?"

"Aang, if I know my sister at all – and I do! - then I also know that she loves you, Aang. She wouldn't refuse you."

A voice chipped in, "Yea, Aang, besides, you've done something incredible. Even if she didn't love you, she'd still accept, considering everything that you've prepared."

Surprised, Aang jumped up into the air, higher than the roof of the teashop.

"Toph! Kohter! You guys shouldn't have done that to Aang. The poor guy is already a nervous wreck! He doesn't need to be a frightened, nervous wreck! Not to mention what you just said! Do you _want_ him to be twitching all day?!"

"Jeez. I thought that I taught him better than that," Toph muttered. Seeing that Aang had landed and semi-composed himself, she continued, "Aang, you're supposed to be an earth-bender as well, you know! You're supposed to stay rooted to the ground, and not be surprised when someone unexpected comes along, because no one will be unexpected! You should be able to hear them coming before they say or do anything else! Sheesh."

Aang hung his head, "Sorry, Toph. I guess I'm just not myself at the moment. I'm guessing that I don't have to explain the situation?"

It was Kohter who replied, "No, Aang, it's all good. Toph seemed to know everything before we had even seen you. I'm still not entirely sure, though, how are you going to propose to her?"

Sokka smiled, and said, "Well, pretty boy, if you don't know, then you'll just have to wait and see. Like unsuspecting Katara."

Not a minute later, Ty Lee, Mai, Hakoda and Iroh came outside onto the garden. Momo and Appa flew overhead, and, when they saw the congregation present, they both landed; Momo on Aang, and Appa right next to him.

Hakoda looked Aang in the eye and said, "Aang, in case you didn't already know, I give you and Katara my full blessing, should she accept. Also, I just saw her, and it seemed as though she was very nearly ready."

Iroh wisely suggested, "In that case, we had all better go, or she might suspect something."

With that, everyone, including Momo and Appa but excluding Aang, walked off in different directions, but all away from the garden. Before Aang was completely alone, though, he heard Mai's mutterings, "Poor Zuko, he really wanted to see Aang squirm..."

_See me squirm?! Why?! Oh!!! Zuko really _is_ sadistic. Jeez. Oh well. HA! In your face, Zuko! You're not going to see me stutter and stumble like a fool who is in love!_

Little did Aang know that that was exactly what he did all the time, whenever he was beside Katara, anyway.

Ten agonizingly long and torturous minutes later, Katara walked out of the doors, towards him. She was the picture of beauty. If someone had decided to look up the word 'beautiful', she would be under that description. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her long, mahogany hair shone in the sunlight, and her dress flowed around her beautifully. Her eyes were truly heavenly. They were two clear, peaceful oceans, on the most beautiful day of the year.

Aang was quite handsome himself. And, the best thing about him was, he never even tried. He was a natural boy, not overdoing anything at all, yet looking better than some of those show-offs who spiked their hair, or exercised every minute of every day. He was perfect. His perfectly sculpted muscles could be subtly seen from the outline of his garment. His face was a work of art. His cheekbones were well-defined, but not too harshly outlined, and his lips were truly magnificent – they weren't too big or too thin. His eyes were stormy grey, and at the moment, if a hurricane decided to make itself known, she wouldn't be surprised.

"Hey, Aang."

He gulped and tried to compose himself. "Hey, yourself, Katara." _Now where had that confidence come from?!_

"So... You wanted to talk to me?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to show you something." He stepped aside, to reveal an ice sculpture of Katara.

She gasped, and took a few steps closer to Aang, so that she could touch the exquisite sculpture.

"Oh WOW, Aang! This is spectacular," she sighed, and ran her hand across the arm of the sculpture. She even held the sculpture's hand in hers, "It's perfectly proportional, and it's exactly the same size as me! You are quite the sculptor, Aang."

Meanwhile, Aang had not been paying attention to what she had to say. His gaze was transfixed onto her hand, and he was mesmerised. He sighed. _I wish that I was that sculpture. How come Katara is touching it and not me?_

As if Katara had read Aang's mind, she rushed over to Aang and hugged him tightly. "Oh Aang! Thank you so much! By the way, what is this?"

She held up a piece of paper. Without Aang realising, Katara had managed to find her first clue.

"Just read it, Katara."

Katara read it aloud, without knowing that everyone would hear – because everyone in the area had come back to spy and listen when Katara met up with Aang - "Katara, mea vita, we are going to play a game – of sorts. It is like a treasure hunt. There will be five sheets of parchment, hidden around the house, each with a clue on how to find the next one. There will be random words written on it, along with the clue. You will have to separate them. The only rule is that you can't talk to anyone until you have found all of the sheets. When you find the last one, there will be a surprise for you. We are going to start now.

I can barely look at you, but every single time I do,

I know that we can make it anywhere

When you are a guest, and you enter the teahouse,

you will find out that you have just gotten yourself a clue.

Aang?"

"Yes, Katara?"

"Will you help me?"

"No, Katara, the rules are, you are not allowed to talk to _anyone_. Therefore, to make things easier for you, I will just place myself away from you so that you won't even feel the temptation to ask me. Okay?"

"No... but fine. By the way, that's really sweet... I guess I'll do this."

"Good. See you later, Katara." He gave her a peck on the cheek, and disappeared from her sight. Of course, he was definitely going to continue watching her.

**A/N: From now on, unless otherwise stated, it'll be Katara's thoughts.** _Okay. So the next clue is... hm. Something to do with entering... Of course!_

"The entrance hall!" She grinned, and marched determinedly into the teahouse and almost ran to the entrance. She looked around, her gaze skimmed all over the walls and the floor.

_That first one was really quick... This one's proving to be a bit more challenging... How on earth am I ever going to find the last one?! __**No, Katara. Stop it.**__ Take this one at a time. Aha!_

She didn't know why, but she read it aloud, "Well done.

Take this clue with you on your quest to find the next piece of enlightenment.

There are miracles in life that I must achieve, but first,

Take yourself a few steps at a time, and you may reach higher ground.

What in the name of...?!"

_Okay. I'll take this with me. Should I take the last one as well? I might as well. Which bit is the clue? Hm... A few steps... Higher ground... What am I missing here?!_

"Oh! The stairs! How silly of me..."

She ran this time, and quickly found herself faced with the stairs. She took them two steps at a time, until she found her next clue on the top of the stairs.

"You have done very well to get thus far.

Carry this to your next place.

This one is trickier, but much stickier. Just remember that by the morning's light we'll be half-way there; you can find it anywhere.

Trickier, alright."

_So I'll just pick this up. Well, that instruction was easy enough. But what about the rest of it?! Stickier... Half-way there... Anywhere... WHAT, IN YUE'S NAME, DOES THAT MEAN?! __**Okay, Katara. C-o-n-c-e-n-t-r-a-t-e. You can do this. **__Right. So it is stuck to something...? I'll just walk around and hope that I find it at some point._

She finally found herself in the main tearoom upstairs, and dejectedly sat down. As her gaze lowered to the ground, she found her next clue.

"Finally! I found it!" _Even if it _was_ accidentally._ "This is your penultimate clue.

You are nearly there. It's not too far away from here, but I want to hold you and keep you in my thinking.

Huh?!"

_So the key parts are what? Not too far away from here... Hold you... Keep you... Thinking...?!...I don't get this one at all. Maybe I've got it, but I haven't realised yet._

"It's not too far away from here, but it holds you and I want to keep you thinking? Does that make any sense at all?! Wait a second. What holds me? OH! The doors!!!"

Appropriately enough, when she reached the doors leading to the balcony, she found her last sheet of clue.

"Just hold on a moment longer.

You know the day destroys the night

Night divides the day, tried to run, tried to hide,

Break on through to the other side.

Now why do those words sound so familiar? Anyway, that one was obvious."

She opened the doors to the balcony, to find Aang gazing out onto the sunset.

"That was brilliant, Katara. You took almost no time at all." Having said that, he turned his body, and angled his face towards her, so that he could take in her appearance.

"Thank you, Aang. It was fun. I can't help but wonder, though. Why?!"

At that point, Aang knelt down in front of Katara, and held out the betrothal necklace that he had made for her. He heard her gasp, but he carried on nonetheless.

"Katara, I know how young we are, and I know how fast this is, but I want you to know that I love you beyond measure. I always have, and, I always will, even until the end of time itself. You're all I'm living for, but each day, I need you more and more. Therefore, Katara, I will put this simply. Will you marry me?"

Although he had said everything with such confidence, and surety, his heart was beating wildly, and he was thoroughly scared. Those few precious seconds where there was a pause, and he sincerely thought that Katara was going to say 'no', were absolutely hellish. Luckily for Aang, Katara replied with a smile.

"Yes, Aang. Of course I will. I fall apart for you day after day, and nobody else could ever take your place in my heart."

Aang stood up and hugged her fiercely, lifting her feet off the ground. After a couple of minutes, he put her down and put her necklace on for her to the sound of applause all around them.

**A/N: What do y'all think? sorry that was late, and I would've had this up much earlier if my computer didn't decide that internet connection was 'currently unavailable'. Seriously. Anyway, happy news, isn't it? This is muy largo, and I'm very proud of it. I didn't proofread it, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Anyways, don't forget to_ REVIEW_! REVIEWS make me HAPPY!!! XD avatarbear67-x**


	10. My Apologies!

Hey guys!

Sorry if you thought that this was a chapter update! I haven't been at home for the past week, and I was also ill, so I haven't been able to type anything up yet.

The next chapter is extra long, though, so I don't know when I'll be able to update...

I apologise profusely... I really will try my best to get the next chapter up... But I'll be away today, so maybe Tuesday will bring a new chapter up... not sure at the moment, though.

Thank you guys! And I'm sorry again!!!

*sniffs* bear67-xx XD


	11. Chapter 9 parts 1 and 2

At last! This is chapter 9!!! Sorry it has taken me sooo long, but it is 2000+ words, excluding the Author's Notes in the count!  
I know that there's been some weirdness about the change to the title, but it is for storyline reasons, and because I couldn't, for the life of me, remember why I titled the story DYSDID in the first place (I've learned my lesson: always write things down!). Sorry for the confusions and stuff!

Merry (belated) Christmas, and a Happy New Year to everyone! =)

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am just the humble creator of this particular work of fan fiction. It may not be good and it may not be funny. I may not be completely sane, either, but at least I have this story to keep me going...**_

Part 1: Pre-event Stress Syndrome

The weeks went by quickly after Aang's proposal. For some reason, events rotated around the couples in the house, and it left Ty Lee, the only young person with no other half, a bit left out. Luckily, she was an easygoing person, and she managed to get herself caught up in the mood of the rest of the people.

Zuko had been informed of what had happened, and had returned approximately two days after the proposal. Now, with everyone fussed over Mai and her unborn baby, Zuko had the chance to talk with Aang.

"So, Aang. I don't know how to say this, so I will just come out and say it, rather than beat around the bush. Basically, when I was back in Fire Kingdom, I attended some meetings. A couple of them involved you. Specifically, how you were going to bring more Air Nomads. They want you and Katara to get married as soon as you are ready, and to... er... consummate your marriage very soon afterwards. I know that you still have a few weeks until your fifteenth birthday, but you're going to have to do something soon. Sorry, but for the world to be balanced, we need air nomads soon."

"Jeez, Zuko. That's asking for a lot, you know. And what about you and Mai? You two haven't married, and she has your baby!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know it is. Well, that's why we're getting married soon! She wants to get married before she starts to show. Look, Aang, I'm not asking you to think about all of this right this instant. I just wanted you to know that the old people are getting impatient."

"So no pressure then," grinned Aang.

"Oh, shut up, you. Right now, I want you to help me, Sokka, Mai, and everyone else. We don't have one wedding to organise! We have two!"

Aang mock-saluted, "Yes, Sir!"

Mai's and Zuko's wedding was to take place in a few month's time, in the Fire Kingdom Capital Palatial Residence. Sokka's and Suki's wedding was to take place a month afterwards, in Kyoshi Island. The former was to be a lavish, luxurious and extravagant ceremony, and included more than four hundred guests, from all four nations. The latter was to be an exclusive, homey, and elegant event, with less than two hundred guests, but that still included friends from all four nations.

There were so many things to be done: sorting out everyone's formal attires, measuring out the brides' gowns and grooms' tuxedos, choose the wedding accessories, making sure all the food's ordered and the cakes have been chosen, both parties needed to complete their guest lists, Zuko and Mai need to have bought the other half's gifts (Sokka and Suki could wait another month for that hassle), Mai and Suki needed to start shopping for trousseaux, and they all needed to sort out their honeymoon – both parties would really need to get away after the weddings, the stress would get to them soon enough. Furthermore, the Fire family needed to get things regarding with the baby sorted out, seeing as he would be born not long after their ceremonies.

The most bizarre thing of all about all of the upcoming events, it was Sokka who was keeping his cool. Zuko was running around the teahouse like a headless chicken, while Aang – the usually levelheaded and playful monk – was sombrely hunched and was at the present time trying to read a list of things he needed to do to help everyone. Every so often, he would glance up, look back down at his list, and start forcefully pulling at his robes (that's one major disadvantage of not having any hair to tear out!).

The female members of the teahouse were hardly ever seen. Save from Toph, who one could actually converse with, as she would, oftentimes, take time outs and sit down and be sociable. The others were always hurrying from somewhere or other to a different – or sometimes actually, the SAME – somewhere or other. Wedding preparations always were absolutely nightmarish, and having to conduct preparations for TWO weddings, now, _that_ was miraculous in itself.

The upside to all of the chaos was that every girl had input to the other girls' dresses – or gowns, as the case may be – and of course, they couldn't resist competing for the best bridal gowns. Funnily enough, it was not the brides who were fighting it out, it was the bridesmaids! Each bridesmaid was voting and deciding for the two brides, and sometimes, they had VERY heated _discussions_ on who was supposed to get which gown. Eventually, both Suki and Mai had had quite enough, and decided for themselves which gown they wanted, and fortunately, they both picked out different outfits with different colour schemes. Lucky, really, or else everyone would have lost their sanity... The only truly lucky people in the house were the men, because they had miraculously managed to get themselves detached from the tiny detailing. Unfortunately for Zuko and Sokka though, they were still involved in _some_ apparel arrangements.

Katara and Toph had not decided on a date for their own arrangements yet, but they kept telling everyone else that it would be soon... (much to the disappointment of Aang and Kohter, who would much rather postpone wedding stress indefinitely.)

"So, Katara, Toph, when are you guys gonna do your weddings?"

Toph had decided that she would not grace everybody with her answer, so, after a short awkward silence, it was Katara's voice that could be heard, to Aang's dismay.

"Well, I think we would probably arrange it so that it was several months after Toph's," she replied. Eager to avoid any more questions regarding marriage – because she and Aang had not even discussed it between themselves yet – she redirected a question at Ty Lee. "What about you, Ty?"

Unnervingly cheerfully, she asked back, "What about me?"

A bit uncomfortable, Katara asked, "Well, are you seeing anyone? You know, anyone... special?"

"Me? Oh no, no, I haven't. Suki took the obvious choice," she grinned at Suki. It was all in the healthy friendly banter and competition, of course... Or so Suki hoped.

At that point, Sokka decidedly burst through the girls' preparation room, "Ah-ha! So I'm quite a catch, eh? What'd I tell you, Zuzu and Aangie, I'm quite the ladies' man. I have two lovely ladies fighting over me..." Finished, he grinned smugly.

Miserable, Zuko said, "Gee, thanks, Ty Lee. You too, Suki. You two couldn't have possibly stroked his over-sized ego anymore."

Katara rolled her eyes at her imbecillic brother, "Yeah, in your pathetic dreams! Suki and Ty would NEVER fight over you, Sokka!"

Completely unrelated, Suki screeched at Sokka, "Sokka! What did I tell you this morning? You are NOT to disrupt the girls' preparation time!!!"

Sokka's smile was quickly wiped off his face, and he screamed, "Aargh!!!" **A/N: lol, can't we only guess what happened to Sokka!**

OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Part 2: Four Weddings and an Engagement?

The months flew by, with more and more of the same, repetitive synthetic stress. More things kept having to be re-done, and extra things had to be done, and the hassle of preparing for two weddings were definitely taking its toll.

Luckily, wedding Number 1 – the Royal Engagement between Firelord Zuko and the new Firelady, Mai – had gone by without a single glitch. Even the Best Man's Speech at the Reception wasn't disastrous, even though since Aang had so blatantly refused – something to do with not being good at getting the centre of attention – Sokka was the only other suitable option. Somehow, Sokka had made it funny, but not utterly humiliating for anyone – a miracle, really. Zuko's personal favourite was Sokka's 'advice'. Sokka had said: _"Advice to the groom - always remember to say 'Yes Dear', unless the question is 'Do I look fat in this?'" _Zuko, along with the rest of the male population had guffawed, but the laugh was cut short, since Firelady Mai jabbed at his side quite harshly. The bit Zuko did NOT like was Sokka's third-to-last sentence: "_It's not such a great day as the bride might have thought – after all, she's not marrying the__best__ man."_ Of course, everyone in the room had laughed, but even though Zuko secretly thought that it was actually not such a bad joke, he refused to laugh at the humourously insulting comment. Their wedding night was also 'not too shabby', at least, according to Zuko's very vague comment when asked.

"So, Zuzu, tell me, how'd it go with Mai?" Sokka asked quite crudely.

"No comment, Sokka. There are children present," he commented, referring to Aang and Kohter.

Sokka laughed, but Aang and Kohter were not amused, "What are you saying, Zuko?!"

Kohter viciously said, "At least I don't have a ridiculously childish nickname! I mean, Zuzu. What is that?!"

Aang nodded vehemently, but Zuko just ignored the two. Sokka grinned and grilled Zuko, "Oh, come on, Zu, don't be a spoilsport. Tell! Is the saying true? Is it always the quiet ones who are passionate?"

Zuko just smirked, "You'll never know, will you, Sokka? But it really wasn't too shabby. Bear in mind, though, she is heavily pregnant."

Aang blushed profusely, but Sokka grinned again and sat back in his chair.

"Did you plan anything special for your wedding night, Sokka?" asked Kohter curiously.

"Now, now, Koh, don't get excited. You're not getting anything out of me until way, way later. I'm disappearing to go on a honeymoon straight afterwards. We're going to a nice Earth Kingdom hideout."

"Where? Why don't you go somewhere in the Fire Nation? I could probably recommend something special for you two," Zuko said.

"No, no. We want to get away from all of you. Y'know, be somewhere where you guys would never even guess. Somewhere unfindable."

"But what if something happened?"

"Aang, trust you to be such a worry guts. I knew Katara would get to you eventually! Look, mate, you need to let go of the makeshift worries and let Suki and I have our fun."

"How do you manage to be so laid back the month before your wedding? I remember being seriously stressed-out!"

"See here, Zu. Suki and I have everything planned out already, and we have everyone else to help out. There are only 5 guests who have yet to reply, so we have absolutely nothing to worry about. Nada."

"Lucky," grumbled Zuko.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0Time Skip-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

So far, the wedding had gone by without a single glitch. The guest who had caught the bouquet was grinning her head off at the main table. All of her friends – including the wedding couple – were just chatting and grinning. They were all waiting for the Best Man to make his Speech in a few more minutes. She thought she'd be jealous when Sokka and Suki both said their "I do's", but she wasn't. It was a bit of a surprise, really. So was the shock of actually managing to catch the bouquet. At Mai's occasion, she decided to not have that part of the wedding, choosing instead to give all her bridesmaids and Maid of Honour a small bunch of flowers. As it was, Ty Lee, who believed greatly in superstitions and beliefs in old wives' tales and traditions, was extremely excited. She had started to get a bit fed up of all of her friends – apart from her former friend, Azula – getting married or engaged. Well, she wasn't really fed up, she was just a tad jealous of them. After all, she wanted someone special to share her life with. That night, she hoped to get... lucky.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0Time Skip-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The wedding ceremony had finished, and Sokka and Suki had disappeared to their little honeymoon hideout. Zuko had managed to share embarrassing moments between himself and Sokka through his Best Man Speech, and also somehow slightly humiliate Suki.

The exciting thing for Ty Lee was that she had managed to be rather friendly with one of the honoured guests of the night, Haru. Haru was a great guy, he was dashing, dapper – at least on that night – and quite a talented earthbender. He was definitely a possible candidate to be Ty Lee's future someone special. Of course, she had to wait for the approval of her friends – not that that would be hard, considering most of them knew him quite well. She had to get to know him better first, though, and have a chat with the girls.

**So? Was that okay? I'm not going into the other wedding(s), that's not really my plan, but there may be an outtake for Katara's and Toph's weddings, and Ty Lee's possible engagement? And also possibly for the Kataang Honeymoon. However, the next official chapter is a major time skip, and the last chapter in the story. I think. I haven't decided on whether I'm going to do a sequel, or just let the next bit (the main plot that I originally thought of) be written under this title.  
Anyways, enough of me rambling. Clicky, and REVIEW!!! _Pretty please? _Thanks, you guys, XD**


	12. Let Me Be Me

I have had a change of plans, and the outtakes are going to come out later, because I'm going to draw out the chapter I already wrote, and make it into two/ three chapters instead.  
Also, some of the things that I've skipped from last time I might put into the "T&T outtakes"... I haven't decided that yet. Watch this space!  
Hope you all enjoy this! (long a/n at the bottom)

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender... Otherwise, why on earth would I be writing this?!**_

"I actually don't remember when my birthday is."

_While Sokka and Suki were away in their 'little nowhere-land' – as Toph had taken to call their hideaway spot – there was a sudden increase in the purchase of accommodations near the teahouse. Mai and Zuko were still in the Earth Kingdom, and were staying inside the teahouse, along with Aang and Katara. Toph and Kohter still stayed in their house not too far away, but Hakoda had moved back to the South Pole, because he did not see the need to stay in the Earth Kingdom. After all, he had given his approval of Aang and Katara marrying each other, and he would just have to attend their marriage ceremony, but neither one of the two had revealed any dates or anything as of yet. Iroh had moved out of the teahouse, and was bought a lovely little cottage two houses down from his beloved teahouse. Ty Lee had also moved out, and had rented a place near Toph and Kohter – mainly because she found out that Haru was currently staying near there._

It was the day that Sokka and Suki were due to come back, and apparently the day before Aang's fifteenth birthday. According to Zuko, the 'oldies' and Iroh.

"So guys, what're we going to do about Twinkletoes's birthday, then?" Asked Toph.

"Oh yeah! We should get everything sorted out before he comes back... We need this to be a surprise," said Zuko.

"And we need to make it really good, because he hasn't had a birthday in a while," Katara said.

Kohter was baffled, "Why?"

Sheepishly, Katara answered, "Well, we were travelling around so much last year – and the year before - that I really didn't remember birthdays. It wasn't just Aang's that I forgot, actually... It was everyone's. Thing is, we never really got to celebrate birthdays properly before, what with the war and all, so now that it's over, I think that we should. You know, to take the opportunity to thank the spirits that we're all still alive today."

A chorus of "Here, here!" could be heard from somewhere in the room. Everyone turned and saw that Sokka was in the doorway with his arm around Suki.

Sokka said, "So guys, why are we thanking the spirits then?"

"That you were gone for a while," grinned Toph.

"Yeah right, Toph-ee, I know ya missed me."

"Psh!"

"So... How'd your freedom trip go?" asked Zuko in a similar way to Sokka's attitude when Sokka had asked about his honeymoon, but much less crude, considering that he was asking in front of everyone.

Sokka however, just stood grinning like the Cheshire Cat. A second later, though, he said, "No comment, Zuzu, there are children present."

Kohter grumbled and rolled his eyes, while the girls looked at each other confusedly. Suki was suspicious, but let it go, and instead asked them what was going on. Katara quickly filled her in, and Sokka got an idea straight away.

"Hey, how about we go to the stands again? To watch another production?"

Toph agreed immediately, "Yeah, that's a great idea, Sokka! We could go to another Aang production. See how the ending is now."

Zuko and Katara looked at each other, and shook their heads. Katara said, "You know what, guys? I really don't think that Aang would like that... considering what happened the last time we were there. What's more, if the actors ended up being the same ones from last time, then he'd really get annoyed. He didn't much like the idea of being played by a girl..."

At this point, Katara trailed off because Suki started to giggle, and it set her off too. Whilst laughing, Suki said, "The expression on his face was PRICELESS! When he saw that he was a girl, he was actually _petrified_!"

Everyone who had been there laughed along, leaving Mai and Kohter to glance at each other warily. No one could fill the two clueless souls in, however, because at that moment, Ty Lee and Haru arrived.

"TY!!" shouted Suki, as Mai got up to greet her friend quietly.

"Hiya!"

"Who's that with her?" whispered Kohter to Toph and Katara.

It was Katara who answered, "Dunno. Oh wait. Is that...? Spirits! That is! That's Haru! Haru!"

Haru, having matured quite a bit, bowed courteously, "Katara."

Katara stopped in her tracks, shocked at his polite greeting, but then smiled and extended her hand to his. The two exchanged quick stories of what had happened since they last saw each other, and she then proceeded to tell both Haru and Ty Lee of their non-existent plan regarding Aang's birthday.

"So you see, we really need a plan, and pronto. We can't let Aang come back from his lesson with Iroh, because he has nothing to do after that, and we need to make arrangements for his birthday."

"Well, in my village, when someone is celebrating their day of birth, they are given a special meal, full of all the foods that they like. Also, as Aang is turning 15 – and that means that he is going to become a man – we have to make him a feast, not just a meal," supplied Haru.

"That's a great idea, Haru! We could make him a feast of vegetable dishes, and maybe try and find out what he used to eat when he was in the Air Temples. But we all have to get him individual presents. Or maybe presents for Momo and Appa, just in case Aang doesn't accept gifts for himself."

"Okay, Katara, but that means we have to split up so that we can get everything sorted out as quickly as possible," Mai said.

Zuko's eyebrows shot up as he was shocked at his wife's obvious want to get involved, but, being the good husband he was, he said nothing, and chose instead to lean over and kiss her on the cheek.

It was Sokka who took charge, "Suki and I will get the decorations, while Katara finds out what he used to eat in the Air Temples, and make sure that she knows how to prepare that dish. Remember, Katara, a safe way to get to a man's heart is through his stomach; if you feed him well, he'll like you." With this, he winked comically.

"Mai and I will go and buy some other vegetarian supplies, and later on, Haru, Ty Lee, Kohter and Toph can help with putting up the decorations and making the food. While we all do that though, Kohter, Toph, you guys can go and find my uncle, and explain to him what's going on, but make sure that you tell him that it's a surprise, and remember to get him away from Aang first. Then, get your gifts ready. Haru, Ty Lee, you two can go and buy your presents for Aang, or Appa and Momo. Is that alright with everybody?"

Toph mock-saluted, while Kohter mock-bowed, at Zuko. Everyone else simply laughed, and they all went to the market, to get all the preparations.

A couple of hours later, everyone returned to the teahouse, and looked at all of their findings.

"Man! Where are we going to hide all of this stuff?" whined Sokka.

Ty Lee chipped in, "We could put everything in my house, and then tomorrow, Katara – or someone – could distract him and take him outside for a walk – or something – so that we can get everything ready."

"That's great. Do you mind taking all of the stuff to Ty's by yourselves? Because I still have to get Aang's present..."

"No problem, Sugarqueen. We'll get the stuff over there right away."

With that, Katara left the teahouse and went back to the market. Meanwhile, all the others went to Ty Lee's, carrying all of the supplies and equipment.

"Uh-oh... Aang's about two minutes away," warned Toph.

Sokka ran around in circles, screaming and tearing his hair out, until Suki grabbed his arm and shut him up. They quickly grabbed everything and rushed over to Ty's place. Aang and Iroh returned to an empty teahouse.

"Where is everybody?" Aang scratched his head, confused.

At that precise moment, Katara came in, "So, have you finished tidying up for..." She stopped when she saw Aang and Iroh. "Hello, General Iroh. Hey there, Aang! How was your lesson?"

"Not bad, thanks. Iroh was teaching me the breath of fire. It was really cool!" He grinned, and then frowned, "What were you tidying up for? And where is everyone?"

"We wanted the place to be spotless for Iroh. We didn't want him to have to clean the place up by himself. After all, _we_ live here now, not him... So we're the ones who make the mess..."

As she didn't want to say anymore, and she knew she would, she walked up to Aang and kissed his cheek. Aang's blush appeared and disappeared within the blink of an eye, and he turned his head and kissed her deeply. Iroh smiled at the couple, and slipped away discreetly.

"I've missed you, Katara. We've been so busy lately – I hardly ever see you anymore..."

Katara sighed contentedly, "I know what you mean. We need to make time for ourselves."

"Yeah, I agree." Just as he finished, the teahouse crowded up because its occupants – ex and current – rushed in.

X0X0X0X0X0X

The next morning, Zuko and Sokka were busy trying to figure out how they were going to get Aang out of the house, when Katara came in.

"WHOA! Oh, phew... I thought you were Aang, sis."

Katara rolled her eyes at Sokka's loudness, "Shush, will you? What are you two up to, anyways?"

It was Zuko who answered, "We're trying to get rid of Aang for the day."

"Oh! That's simple. I'll take Aang out for a walk. We wanted some alone time, anyway. You guys can just tell me when we have to get back, because I'm all ready."

Sokka looked bewildered, "Why didn't I think of that?" Just as Katara opened her mouth to retort, he suddenly grinned cockily, and said, "Well, sis, that plan was simple and flawless. You're finally getting to be like me!!!"

Katara huffed and walked away to find Aang, muttering all the way there, "I sincerely hope not, he's such an annoying, prick of a brother. Sheesh! Why couldn't I get Zuko for a brother?! Oh yeah, because then I'd be like Azula... Bleurgh!"

Zuko and Sokka could hear what she was muttering about, until she reached the stairs, and they both grinned like idiots.

Meanwhile, Katara had walked into Aang's room, only to find out that he was awake, and meditating in the middle of the room. That wasn't the first thing she noticed, though. What she noticed was that he was shirtless, and she blushed profusely. She hadn't really noticed before, but Aang had developed quite well. His chest was chiselled – he now had a faint four-pack – but he wasn't overly muscular. It was a nice sight to look at in the morning. _It must've been all that training... _She walked nearer to him, and sat opposite him, not wanting to disturb his meditation.

Aang's eyes fluttered open, and he was shocked to find Katara there. He jumped a foot into the air, "KATARA!"

Katara smiled, "Good morning to you too, Aang."

He scratched his neck, and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry... I wasn't expecting anyone, that's all. Nice surprise, though."

Katara simply laughed and stood up. "Do you mind if we go for a walk today?"

"Sure! I'd love to go for a walk... Just the two of us, right?"

Katara nodded.

Aang hugged her close, and Katara blushed again – since he wasn't wearing his tunic – and kissed her soundly on her lips. "It's a _very_ good morning now, Katara."

"I agree." By this point, though, he had noticed her blushing, and frowned. He looked down, and saw that she must've seen him topless, and blushed too. He released her, and walked around, trying to find it, and Katara, who guessed that he was searching for it, found it and held it up to him.

"Thanks, Kat. Let's go."

They left the teahouse, and walked into the park, just talking about everything and nothing, kissing and cuddling, and just generally having a great time.

They returned a few hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, and as soon as they entered, everybody, including Katara, shouted, "SURPRISE!"

Aang looked around, grinned, but then said, "Huh?!"

Katara kissed his cheek, and whispered in his ear, "Happy Birthday!"

His face lit up, and he smiled at Katara, "Thank you."

"Now let's eat this veggie food!" **A/N: guess who said **_**that**_**!**

They were all eating their feast, when Zuko said, "So, Aang. Have you made your decision yet?"

"?!"

"You know, about you and Katara."

The statement obviously hit home somehow, because Aang stood up, "I don't even know when my birthday is, okay? It was really nice of you guys to do this, but seriously! Just LET ME BE!" He had an apologetic look on his face, and smiled softly at Katara, before he stormed off.

An awkward pause ensued, until all eyes turned to Zuko, "ZUKO!"

**There it is! Finally, I know. I'm really sorry for not updating in such a long time, but I've just been so stressed out with homework, coursework, and public exams. Sorry! I know I actually promised recently that this would be out two days ago - or so - but external circumstances have cut in and changed my plans completely. I don't know when the next one will be out, but don't worry, THIS IS _NOT_ THE LAST CHAPTER!!! Sorry, I kept changing my mind - it all depended on my mood, see... Anyways  
Review, Constructively criticise, flame, or whatever. Though I'd prefer it if you didn't flame... =)**


	13. His Apology and His Decision

In celebration of the 3000th hit to "Twists & Turns", I wrote out the first outtake to this story... But I haven't published it, because I'm not happy with it yet. However, I just wrote another chapter to "Kataang ONESHOTS" thanks to the inspiration from _icenodi_. Go check it out if you have time. Enjoy this!

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, I would actually make a fourth 'book'. Although if there was one, I wouldn't know what I'd be doing right now... Hm.**_

His Apology and His Decision

"You're such an idiot!"

"Way to ruin the mood," grumbled Mai, who was beginning to have a good time.

"Sorry, but I had to know. I got a letter from a messenger hawk this morning, demanding to be informed before next week. Thing is, right, all he has to do is set a date, and the oldies will stop bothering him."

"It's not like that, Zuko. I've barely seen him recently, so we've not had a chance to talk to each other about this... Not to mention that all of this is seriously rushed. He can't be expected to marry someone at the age of 15. That's actually ridiculous!"

"Hey, Katara, I'm not saying I don't agree with you, okay? Personally, I do. But this is for the benefit of the world... Don't shoot the messenger!"

"Fine, fine. I guess I can see where you're coming from, but could you please go, find Aang, and talk to him? Because I don't want him to be upset..."

"Why can't you go?"

"Because you were the one who caused this mess!!!"

"Yeah, but you're the only one who can calm him down."

"Urgh! Fine. But I won't guarantee that he won't shoot you with a giant ball of air, earth, water or fire, okay?"

X0X0X0X0X0X

Eventually, Katara managed to find Aang, sitting under a sycamore tree. It was quite a sight; Aang was cross-legged, with his back leaning completely on the bark of the tree, and his eyes were closed. He looked completely relaxed, save for the frown that crossed his features from time to time. She didn't really want to disturb him, but she knew that she had to if she wanted to know why he blew up at everyone before.

"Hey, Aang?"

Without opening his eyes, he smiled slightly, "Hey, Katara."

As she received a warm reply, she sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulders. "Aang, I know you might not want to talk about this, but I really want to know... What's the matter?"

Aang opened his eyes, and frowned more. "Well, it's really hard to explain... Never mind. It's stupid anyway."

"I don't think it is. We have all the time in the world... Well, not really, but you know what I mean. I'm willing to listen to whatever it is that's bothering you."

He huffed, and reluctantly agreed to talk, "Fine. But Katara, I want you to promise me that you won't run away when you hear this, and you have to hear all of it before you input anything, okay?"

Katara nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Well, I had a dream. It was really strange, and quite intimidating and scary. We were by the sea – it looked like Ember Island – and around us, there were these kids playing with the sand and the sea. They looked like they were having lots of fun, and stuff, and at first, I thought that that was us... You know, you, me, Sokka, Suki, Zuko, Mai, Ty, Toph and Kohter, but then I noticed that there were only six of them – three boys and three girls – and I could see all of us on beach chairs and stuff... It was cool, there was nothing wrong, until suddenly, two of the kids called for you and me, and they called us 'Mum' and 'Dad'. That totally freaked me out, but even worse was that they looked like they were about eight or nine years old, but we were still the same age... At least, by appearance."

Katara gasped, and her eyes were wide. Absentmindedly, Aang stroked Katara's arm to calm her down, "I was really freaked out, so I woke up. I can't tell you how relieved I was when I woke up to an empty room. I guess when Zuko mentioned it, I just got reminded of that."

There was an awkward pause for several minutes, until he broke it, "Katara? Are you okay?"

"Um. Well. I'm not sure," she shook her head, as if to clear some thoughts. "What did you do after that? Because you were meditating, weren't you? When I came in?"

"Right. I was. Well, you see, I was really confused, so I wanted to ask for some advice. I meditated, but for some reason, I couldn't reach Roku. I was frustrated, so I broke the concentration, and then when I opened my eyes, you were there," he paused to grin. "I guess, with hindsight, it must've been because I was in turmoil, so I wasn't letting my mind clear itself of all the thoughts, because I just had so much to think about."

"Aang. I don't want you to be pressured into this. Honestly, I don't mind. Those old people can wait. You shouldn't have to be forced into marriage. It's sacred, and it's a commitment that should have been thought of properly; after all, it's a commitment for life! We need to talk through it, and we need to make sure that both you and I are comfortable with all of this. Just forget about all the generals and people. Okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. But I have been thinking about this, you know. I really have."

They continued to talk for a while longer, until Zuko found them, relaxing in each other's company. He decided that he'd approach them, because Aang looked a lot calmer than he did before.

Tentatively, he said, "Hey, Aang...?"

Aang looked up, and flinched slightly – he was sorry for exploding at Zuko earlier. "Look, Zuko, I'm really sorry, okay?"

Zuko was completely taken aback. "What?! You don't need to apologise for anything! It was my fault entirely. I apologise for ruining your birthday dinner. I received a letter this morning from the messenger bird, and the parchment said all sorts of stuff, but among them, there was the issue of your marriage and your lack of attendance at meetings. They were irritated, and I guess I just caved into the pressure. To be honest, I think that this is completely your and Katara's decisions, and they shouldn't be involved at all, but you know how it is..."

Katara interrupted quickly, "But that doesn't excuse your behaviour! You could've mentioned it some other time, you know!"

"I know, I know, Katara. I know. And Aang, I really am sorry. Forgive me?"

"Of course, Zuko, how could I not? Besides, you hadn't really done something disastrous."

"Thanks, Aang! Okay, I'll leave you guys to it, then."

"No, it's okay, we're coming back, we have an announcement to make."

X0X0X0X0X0X

"So yeah, what do you guys think? Does that sound alright?" Toph asked quite nervously.

Aang, Katara and Zuko walked in, and he asked, "Does what sound alright?"

"Oh hey, guys! We wondered where you guys went. So I take it that everything's fine, now?" Sokka pointedly looked at Zuko.

"Yeah, s'all good," Aang said sheepishly.

"Anyway, what did we miss?" Katara asked.

"Toph and Kohter's big announcement," grinned Ty Lee.

"?!"

"Yeah. Toph and I have decided that we're going to get married soon. Like, in about ten months' time? And we were wondering if you guys approved, that's all," inputted Kohter.

Aang and Katara grinned at each other, "Well, we also have something big to announce. Aang?"

"We're going to get married! We've had a big discussion and everything, and we've decided that we're going to start preparing stuff next week, for eleven months' time. Just before the Summer Solstice."

"Cool! That's just after when we were thinking of having ours!" Toph punched Aang in the arm.

Sokka stood with crossed arms, "We seem to have a problem with sticking to the stress of only ONE wedding, don't we? It's gotta be two!"

"Yeah! Seriously. As if the last two weren't stressful enough! Oi, Ty Lee, are you going to join in with Haru and make it a triple wedding?" Zuko added.

Ty Lee and Haru glanced at each other, and when they caught each other's eye, they both blushed. "Gee, Zu, I never knew you were such a master of tactics," Mai said sarcastically.

Zuko grinned apologetically, and hung his head in shame, while everyone else laughed at Ty's, Haru's and Zuko's expense.

"Oh Aang, don't forget to tell those stuck-up, boring, old generals that you've decided on a date for your marriage, 'cuz I've started to get the junk mail from them too... They arrive at the most inopportune moments, as well," Sokka reminded Aang, while his eyes got unfocused as he reminisced about something. If anyone had been watching, they would've seen that Suki was blushing slightly.

**AN: I couldn't resist adding a bit of Sokka silliness into that! :P I know that Zuzu's a bit OOC, but I get a kick out of goofy Zuko. I hope you guys appreciated that, because I'm losing my sleep, and also neglecting school work! (lol, joking... well, actually, not joking, but you know what I mean, you don't need to appreciate it if you don't want to.**

_If you have time, review! I need happiness right now! Ta! avbear67 -x  
_


	14. Prophecies pt1 Dream

I am soo sorry for not updating until now... Long A/N at the bottom.  
Enjoy this!

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Legend of Aang. If I did, no one would watch it, because I can't really draw, and I'm inexperienced in the world of computer animation, so the programme would suck.**_

Relevant filler: **Prophecies (pt 1): Dreams**

Mai's pregnancy had set all the plans back a couple of months. Of course, if it weren't for all of the precise arrangements and hectic days, Aang, Katara, Toph and Kohter would've remembered to take Mai's pregnancy into account. However, that was obviously not the case.

"We are such idiots," laughed Toph in the waiting area.

Aang, Katara and Kohter nodded while everyone else – minus Mai and Zuko – laughed. They were all waiting nervously just outside of the delivery room, where Mai and Zuko were, along with the healers and deliverers. To pass the anxious time, they had all decided to make light-hearted conversation, but it was difficult to do that and tune out the agonized moans of Mai.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Zuko was close to passing out. He was beyond stressed out, and Mai was gripping his hand too tightly, cutting off some of the blood supply to his left hand. Mai was royally pissed off, and Zuko was a nervous wreck. If the situation wasn't serious, it would've been truly comical to watch the pair.

Three painfully long hours later, one of the healers came out, with good news. Mai was safe, and she had given birth to a baby boy, who was named Kozuan by his parents. The gaang were told that they could enter the room, as long as they didn't make too much noise, and didn't aggravate the baby or, more importantly, Mai.

They walked in in pairs, and Katara, Ty Lee and Suki's eyes all sparkled when they saw the baby.

"Babies are so ugly," remarked Sokka, earning a death glare from Mai, Zuko and Katara, and a smack upside the head from Suki.

"He's so cute!" gushed Ty Lee, who had ignored Sokka's comment.

Distracted, Katara and Suki also gazed at the little baby boy, and cooed at him.

"Awww... who's the cute widdle baby?" Aang looked warily at Katara, and glanced at Sokka, who grinned at his expression, before he heard Suki.

"Who's gonna be the stwong widdle man?"

Stupidly enough, Sokka got slightly jealous, "But he'd never be as strong as his new uncle, Sokka."

"He's gonna whup you, Sokka," smirked Kohter.

"You're on, baby!" Sokka challenged Kozuan. "At least I know that you'll never look as handsome as me," he muttered.

"Pft! He's going to have girls queuing up to meet him from every nation!" Zuko said, after he heard Sokka's mumbling.

"Sokka does have a point, though, Kozuan doesn't look that cute," observed Aang.

Determined to stop all the stupid chatter, "I think he looks PERFECT!" grinned Toph, while stretching her arms out above her head.

Everyone laughed, and Mai smiled, shaking her head.

X0X0X0X0X0X

That night, none of the gaang had a restful night in bed. Their dreams were, unbeknownst to them, the same as each other's.

_Six children were playing on the beach, three boys, and three girls. They all looked to be around the same age as each other, though one looked like she would be the youngest, and one of the boys looked to be the oldest. The children seemed to be benders – all apart from one boy._

"_Satoshi, look out! Behind you!" Yelled the eldest-in-appearance boy._

"_Aaargh!" Screamed 'Satoshi', who was being engulfed in the tidal wave._

_Two of the children guffawed and high-fived each other. They looked very similar, the only noticeable difference being that one was male, and the other was female._

"_You two, stop it! You know that's not fair on him – he's not a bender, and you guys have just got your bending... You don't know how to control it yet! Not to mention that you always team up!" The eldest boy spoke again._

_The two trouble-makers groaned, "Aw, Kozuan. Don't be such a spoilsport! Satoshi's fine! And you can't talk! You haven't had yours for a long time, either!"_

"_But he has had it for longer than you two. We won't teach you anything else if you don't behave, Mei-Yin," the woman's voice paused for a while. "Don't think you're off the hook, Gyatso. Behave!"_

"_Yes, Mum."_

_'Satoshi' ran up to 'Mum', "Thanks Auntie Katara."_

By this point in the dream, every single one of the gaang woke up abruptly. They were all thinking the same thing.

_'Mum'?! 'Auntie Katara'?!_

Eventually, they all managed to get to sleep again, and decided to leave the matter alone. Little did they know that this was the beginning of all strange things.

**Beginning of long A/N:  
1. I know that was really short, and I am really sorry. I just thought that I should put something up, considering that I hadn't updated in a long while. This chapter is relevant, I just haven't finished it yet, but I felt guilty, so I thought I could give you all a semi-teaser.  
2. I didn't update because I have literally been bogged down with school work, after the snow days, and well, I just haven't managed to type anything up.  
3. I have written out the plan for this chapter, so I will get it done by next sunday, but I'm not promising any earlier updates.  
4. I'm losing the Avatar enthusiasm, so I won't be doing any Avatar continuation stories for a while. I probably will still be doing oneshots, though...  
5. The next chapter is the final chapter - it would've been this one, but I haven't finished yet, so it's the next part of this chapter - but there are three outtakes that are not published yet. I will publish those once I've finished this story.  
6. Once those outtakes are published, I am on Avatar continuation fic hiatus... (not permanently, just until I get my groove back.)**

**Thanks for bearing with me, guys! Love you all, and keep smilin'! avbear67 -x  
**


	15. Prophecies pt 2 Prophecies

Long A/N at the bottom explaining everything.

Enjoy...

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Legend of Aang. If I did, I'd get pelted at with fruits (or something) because I'm so bad at updating quickly.**_

**Prophecies**

On a beautifully warm and sunny day, the gaang were sitting round a table, when a baby's cry broke the comfortable silence.

Mai and Zuko looked at each other, "It's your turn," a bored and exhausted Mai said. "I did last night".

With a grunt, Zuko got up and trudged to baby Kozuan's room. Aang thought that he looked funny, and laughed, affecting everyone around him.

"Ah... Poor Zuzu... NOT!" laughed Toph crudely.

Mai just smiled slightly, before coming to Zuko's defence, "Well, it's really difficult to look after that baby. Not to mention, really disgusting. He reminds me of Tom Tom, my baby brother. Urgh."

There was a slightly awkward and uncomfortable silence after this, purely because none of them, apart from Ty Lee, had ever heard Mai say so much.

The saving grace came from Ty Lee, "I'll look after him for you sometimes, Mai! Kozuan is sooo cute!"

"I wouldn't mind giving a helping hand once in a while either, actually," Katara chipped in, and next to her, Suki agreed.

Mai sighed with relief at her newfound friends' helpfulness, "Thanks, guys. That would be nice. I feel so weak, recently, and useless as well. Zuko's great, I guess, but he's kind of inexperienced, too."

By this point, Aang was getting pretty worried too, considering in order for him to repopulate the Air Nomad population, he had to 'get some babies' – and they were hard work, according to Mai. So, he decided to change the topic.

"Just out of interest, did anyone have a strange dream last night?"

"Well, it depends what you mean by 'strange', Aang."

"Well, I had this dream where Kozuan was big, and there were five other kids, all around eleven years old. One was Gyatso, one called... Satoshi, and the other one called Mei-Yin, I think. But the really strange thing was that one of them called Katara-"

"Mum. And someone else called her Auntie," interrupted Sokka.

"Exactly! Wait... how did you know? Did you get the same dream, too?"

"Yea... I woke up in a cold sweat after that."

"Actually... I had the dream too. I was sort of scared that the boy called me 'Mum'. He looked really quite familiar, though... For some reason."

"That sounds really familiar, actually. I dreamt the same thing, though I couldn't tell whether or not they looked familiar. I could tell it was you, though, Katara. You sounded pretty much the same..."

"Whoa, Toph! You can dream?!" asked Sokka.

"Yes, Sokka. I can dream. It's kind of different for me, though. I couldn't really tell how many people there were, because I couldn't see them. I could tell that they were people – pretty much – because of the vibrations, but it was really blurry, because of the sand. My dreams are in vibrations, and I can smell, taste, hear. Basically, it's all the same, except that there's nothing visual."

"So it seems that we all got the same dream... Did anyone not get it?" asked Aang.

No one in the room replied, even Kohter and Haru.

"So what does that all mean?" Aang shook his head confusedly, and Sokka pretended that he had a beard.

"Maybe, Aang, someone is trying to tell us something. Aang, maybe you should ask Avatar Roku."

"I think you're right, Katara, I have a feeling that this is something quite spiritual, and possibly prophetic."

Mai added, "When Ty Lee gets one of her 'feelings' about something being spiritual, or nonsensical, then you should believe her..."

"Okay. I will. Does anyone know when the next solstice is?" Aang asked.

At that moment, Zuko came back down the stairs, "Yeah. There's a solstice tomorrow just after midday. Why?"

"Well, you see, we all had the same dream last night, and Ty Lee thinks that it may be some kind of prophecy, so we decided it would be best if Aang asked someone who might actually know what's going on. Like Avatar Roku," Suki informed him.

"Hm."

That evening, once all of the gaang were fast asleep, they dreamt again, and just like the previous night, their dreams were all the same as each other's.

"_More than a hundred years ago from now, the Fire Nation started what was to become the centenary war. Fire Lord Sozin started the attack on the rest of the nations by driving the Air Nomads to extinction. The next Avatar in line was told to have been born into the Air Nomads. However, when the world needed him most, he vanished. The rest of the world had given up hope in ever finding the Avatar, and given up hope for their freedom. However, when Sokka and I were fishing one day, we found Aang in a frozen airball with Appa. At first, we didn't realise that he was the Avatar, because he never wanted to be the Avatar, and he just wanted to be a normal kid. Luckily for the rest of the world, he realised that in order to save the people, he needed to fulfil his destiny of becoming the Avatar, and therefore restore the balance in the world. In order to do that, he had to defeat the Fire Lord."_

"_So, with the help of my friends, I set out to master the three other elements: Water, Earth, and Fire. Katara and I decided to go to the North Pole, to find a Waterbending master, because Katara was the only Waterbender in the South Pole. We travelled to the North Pole, along with Sokka, and pursued by Zuko. However, it all became urgent when I found out that Sozin's Comet – which Fire Lord Sozin had used as an energy supply to start the war – was going to return in the next summer, which would've given Fire Lord Ozai enough power to destroy the entire world. This meant that I had to master all of the elements – and the Avatar State – before the summer ended."_

Dream Katara and Dream Aang were older, and wiser, and they were storytelling, along with Dream Zuko, Dream Mai, Dream Sokka, Dream Toph, Dream Suki, Dream Ty Lee, and Dream Haru chipping in with the details when they were included. They were retelling the story of the Hundred Year War to the six children who were in the previous dream.

"_Wait a minute. So Auntie Katara, Uncle Aang, Uncle Sokka and Dad weren't friends? Or did Dad just feel like 'pursuing' those three?" asked the always apt Kozuan._

_Older, Dream Zuko grinned sheepishly, "Well, we were more like enemies. You see, back then, I was obsessed with gaining the approval and love of my father, and I was obsessed with restoring my honour. I was the 'banished prince'. Fire Lord Ozai had fought me in an Agni Kai because I talked in one of the meetings. I refused to fight my own father, so he deemed me as dishonourable. Anyway, the only way back to my father's good graces was to capture the Avatar – Aang."_

The sleeping Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko were all reminiscing, but Kohter was very interested to hear the whole story, since nobody had told him before – even if this was all in his subconsciousness.

The next morning, when the gaang woke up from their slumber and strange dream, they all looked for each other quickly, and found that they had, indeed, all been having the same dream.

"This is getting to be really strange. Aang, you do really need to go and look for Avatar Roku," commented Zuko.

Worried as always, Katara asked, "Would you like us to come with you, Aang?"

"No, Katara, I'm sure it will all be fine. Don't worry about it, 'kay? I'll be back in time for supper." Aang kissed Katara to reassure her, and went on his way.

X0X0X0X0X0X

"Wait. Avatar Roku, are you telling me that there's gonna be another Airbender?"

"No, Aang. You are not listening. I said that all of these dreams are prophecies of the future. You will still be the only true Airbender."

Seeing the crestfallen look on Aang's face, Roku paused. "I'm sorry, Aang, but it is the truth. However, there will be someone in your midst who will be able to manipulate air like an Airbender. But, she will be a waterbender. In fact, it seems like she will be your daughter, Aang. You see, we here in the Spirit World have worried about something since after you defeated Ozai. It has become almost too peaceful. It seems that someone is planning something big. Someone spilled that Azula was going to be 'accidentally' released but she will regain her sanity, Ozai was going to temporarily get some of his bending back, and some Yan Chen Archers, some of the Dai Li, and Koh were going to be allies. We don't know why or how, though, so it's not possible to stop them. Also, it seems that Mei-Yin, your future waterbending daughter, will be the next Avatar, but like you, she will have to learn quickly, because both of you will be needed in the next battle. It is a worrying prophecy, especially considering there are many benders involved."

"Wow. Avatar Roku, why can't the world keep itself balanced and peaceful for a while?"

"Wait, Aang. I have not finished. It is imperative that you tell your friends that Kozuan will be an accomplished Fire Bender, and he will be able to learn how to create, as well as redirect, lightning. Satoshi – the son of Suki and Sokka – will, clearly, not be a bender, but he will be a master swordsman, and the greatest non-bender warrior of his time, as well as a very skilled archer and he will be very intelligent; he will also learn different fighting styles and skills from all those he grows up with. Keianna, the third eldest, will be an earthbender, and the daughter of Haru and Ty Lee; she will also be as skilled as her mother when it comes to acrobatics, and blocking chi."

Roku gestured at Aang to get himself more comfortable, before he continued in his narrative.

"Gyatso and Mei-Yin will be Katara's and your children, and they will be twins. Both will, initially, be waterbenders, but as I've mentioned, Mei-Yin will be an Avatar, although she will not be fully realised until after you have died, and she will not be able to go into the Avatar State consciously until then, too. They will be apt learners, and of course, they will both be master waterbenders. Neelima, will be the youngest and final addition, and she will be from Toph and Kohter. She will be an earthbender, and a metalbender. She will also possess Kohter's special talent – but I cannot tell you that as it is not in my place to say so. You may, however, ask Kohter yourself."

"But I still don't understand. Why is this all going to be happening? And when?"

"I do not know yet, Avatar Aang, but it does seem that you will need as much power in your side as possible. Well, I have a suspicion that once Kozuan reaches the age of sixteen, this will all take place. Do not worry yourself, Aang. You will have a peaceful time ahead of you for a while yet."

"And what about the Energybending?"

"No, Aang, I cannot tell you anything about that yet. And I certainly cannot tell you everything that will happen in the future – also because I do not entirely know myself. I think I have told you enough for now, Aang. There is a lot to tell your friends."

X0X0X0X0X0X

As soon as Aang returned, he told the gaang everything that Roku had told him – leaving out the part where Kohter was involved, because he wanted to find out the truth first, before he told everyone else.

After a pause while everyone was processing the detailed information, Zuko asked, "So, Aang, do you think we should tell anyone of what we know?"

"No, I don't think we should. Not yet, at least. Not until all of the children are born and, probably not until the events of the dream has happened."

There were murmurs of agreement from everyone.

Sokka commented, "Well, Kozuan, it looks like you're going to have as much fun as we did when you grow up."

The baby turned in Mai's arms, and made a sound that was very similar to a groan.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Toph and Suki laughed in agreement, while Mai, Ty Lee, Haru and Kohter joined them.

_None of them were very sure of the future ahead, but they did know that they would all be facing the twists and turns that life threw at them together – they would definitely be having some new adventures and new additions to Team Avatar, as well. And that was all good.

* * *

_

**THE END**

* * *

**Well, this is it, I'm afraid. Obviously, it's not the end for them or the next generation, but that's definitely it for now.**

**Thank you for everyone who read the story (and is still reading my stories), and especially to everyone who reviewed - I don't know if I would've updated without the encouragement.**

**

* * *

**

**_I apologise to everyone for not updating in over two (or so) weeks... I'd temporarily lost my Avatar mood, and when I got it back - which was only quite recently - I realised that I had to focus most of my attention on my schoolwork, and my parents kept bugging me to stop 'daydreaming' and start working on my homework. Anyways. I've decided that I'm not going to start another multi-chaptered fic until I know I can finish updating it in under three months - so as to not disappoint you guys._**

_**So yeah, basically, I'm really, really, really sorry, and I promise to stick to the decision.**_

_**Again, thank you for being patient with me, and for reading. Don't forget to review with any suggestions, improvements, random comments, or whatever else!**_

_**avatarbear67 -xx  
**_


End file.
